Elversberg, a club that secured promotion to the Bundesliga top flight for the first time in its history, has begun the new season with a bang. A point against Bayern Munich also seemed plausible when Maurice Krattenmacher equalised in the 61st minute, before Harry Kane netted the winner for the defending champions. Though these are still early days, Elversberg’s record signing, Cole Campbell, spoke to NDTV about the club’s fearless mentality that has left the football world pleasantly surprised.
In their first-ever Bundesliga game, Elversberg defeated the 2023-24 champions, Bayer Leverkusen, before securing another impressive win against Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Elversberg record signing Cole Campbell scored his first Bundesliga goal against Bayer Leverkusen. In a chat with NDTV, he emphasised the club’s fearless and focused mentality.
Having joined from Dortmund over the summer, Campbell admitted that while there is pressure associated with his price tag, he is determined to support his teammates and focus on what he can control on the pitch. “Obviously, there is pressure that comes with it, but on the other side, there is also a lot of trust from them to believe in me. Since I’ve been here, I have felt very good. Everyone in the club is supporting each other, and the pressure I put on myself to perform was already there before any money was involved. Regardless of those things, I want to perform and do my best in every single game. That is what I will continue doing-training and trying to become better in every match and training session. There is pressure, but the support I have from the club, my teammates, and the coaching staff helps give me a good feeling and allows me to perform. Wins against Leverkusen and Gladbach prepared Elversberg in the best possible manner to face the mighty Bayern Munich. When asked if there was a shift in mindset when he and his teammates approached the Bayern fixture, Campbell explained that the club stands by a philosophy of not being intimidated by the stature of their opponents. For Elversberg, it is crucial to approach every single game with the exact same intensity. “The quality of Leverkusen and Gladbach is very high; they are both amazing teams. When you hear the reputation of a club like Bayern, it is of course a different feeling and they are a different opponent. But the mindset we take into every game has to be the same. We want to give everything we have and perform the best we can, regardless of whether we are playing Bayern Munich or a lower team.”
Elversberg is a small district within the municipality of Spiesen-Elversberg in the Saarland region, with a population of only about 13,000 people. The club’s home venue, the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde, has historically held around 10,000 spectators, meaning their entire town’s population could comfortably fit inside the stadium with room to spare. During the virtual media interaction, Campbell-who was bought by Elversberg from Borussia Dortmund for a club-record fee of 6 million euros-recalled scoring his first-ever Bundesliga goal against Leverkusen in his side’s stunning 3-2 win. When you play against Bayern Munich, one of the best teams in Europe, you obviously have to be focused and give 100%.
