Potential rise in Batshuayi interest does not faze Stoger
Peter Stoger would rather Michy Batshuayi continue the blistering start to his Borussia Dortmund career and attract interest from other clubs than struggle to find the net.
Batshuayi joined on loan from Chelsea for the remainder of the season to replace the prolific Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who left to join Arsenal for €63.75million on the final day of the January transfer window.
The Belgium international struggled for game time under Antonio Conte but has scored five goals and supplied one assist in his first three Dortmund appearances.
Asked about facing a potential battle to keep the 24-year-old permanently if he maintains his form, Stoger told a news conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Borussia Monchengladbach: "If he had missed those chances we would have bigger problems.
"Nobody should thank me for getting Batshuayi to Dortmund. The plaudits go to our scouting department."
Luckily we still won. Great striker @mbatshuayi pic.twitter.com/6K9VaTbLT8
— Mario Götze (@MarioGoetze) February 15, 2018
After leading Dortmund to a 3-2 victory over Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie on Thursday, Batshuayi admitted he found life tough at Chelsea.
"It wasn't always easy at Chelsea. I'm now playing with a lot of confidence," he said.
"Sitting on the bench, scoring a goal and then back to the bench is quite difficult to deal with for an attacker."
The arrival of Batshuayi at Signal Iduna Park has coincided with an improvement in the performances of Andre Schurrle, who has lacked consistency since joining from Wolfsburg in 2016.
"I can't say whether Schurrle is profiting from Batshuayi or vice versa, but good players benefit from each other," said Stoger.
Schürrle assist. Götze goal.
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) February 15, 2018
Iconic pic.twitter.com/LEjBPqJyf9
"I didn't do anything to Schurrle [to improve him]. He had a lot of injuries and that's how it is sometimes. Maybe his expectations and those of the club limited him for a bit.
"But we talked and I told him he will have chances to prove his quality."
Dortmund forward Shinji Kagawa is not expected to be available to face Gladbach due to an ankle problem, though Marcel Schmelzer could be in line for his first appearance of the year.