With three promotions in the past five years, Elversberg have swiftly climbed from the fourth tier of German football to the top flight.
It is not unusual in football for a small team to enjoy a rapid rise – Wrexham have famously done just that having gone from non-league football to the Championship.
But while they have been helped by having wealthy owners, Elversberg have never had similar financial clout – and as a result have had to do things a little differently.
A key figure in Elversberg being able to rise as quickly as they have was Ole Book.
A former footballer in Germany’s lower leagues, Book joined Elversberg in 2017 as a scout, and within a year was promoted to sporting director.
Book had an eye for spotting talented youngsters and giving them the platform to showcase their emerging talent by becoming key players in the Elversberg team.
One of those players was Nick Woltemade, who was brought in on loan from Werder Bremen II in 2022 and went on to score 10 goals that season. Woltemade then joined Stuttgart before his £69m club record move to Newcastle last year.
Book’s impressive work at Elversberg ultimately caught the eye of Borussia Dortmund, who appointed him as sporting director in April, with the club specifically highlighting his ability to find and develop young players, “creating value for the squad”.
Despite his departure, Elversberg have not changed their philosophy for the coming campaign, with talented youth being the main focus of their recruitment.
“We won’t do anything different,” Welzmuller added.
“The identity stays the same and it is built on three core pillars. The first is to be brave, the second is to be intense and the third is to be clever.
“You will see when you watch us we want high-intensity players, and that will stay the same forever.”
