Borussia Dortmund do not usually do big announcements. Breaking news regarding their first-team squad, whether good or bad, tends to be reported casually, with some injuries not even fully diagnosed when statements are released.
And while it may be a sign of the times given the slowing of the news cycle around all football clubs, it was noticeable just how big of a deal the Bundesliga outfit made over Nnamdi Collins' decision to sign a contract extension on Friday that will keep him with the club until 2023.
Youth coordinator Lars Ricken hailed the 16-year-old centre-back as an "outstanding talent in German youth football" after Dortmund fought off interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs to hold onto a player who, though not set to be on the pitch when football returns to Germany this weekend, is regarded as one of the best young players in his position on the continent.
Born in Dusseldorf but with Nigerian roots, Collins began his footballing education at Fortuna Dusseldorf before joining Dortmund as a 12-year-old in 2016. Having always been tall for his age, Collins was trained up to play at the heart of the defence - a role in which he has gone onto thrive.
"We had the deciding championship game against Schalke in the Under-15s," coach Marco Lehmann, under whom Collins played regularly for two years in Dortmund's U14s and U15s, tells Goal and SPOX. "Nnamdi had an intense duel with Schalke's Semin Kojic. When we got into the dressing room after a great win, I said to him: 'Nnamdi, what a duel.' Then he grinned and said: 'I love to play against the best. It was really fun again'. At that point everyone in the club knew that he had to skip the U16s."
That is indeed what happened, with Collins playing every match for a Dortmund U17s side that had conceded just 22 goals in 21 games before the Covid-19 shutdown. Collins, who was named captain of Germany's U16 side earlier in the campaign, also contributed four goals at the other end of the pitch.
Having been given the opportunity to train with Lucien Favre's first-team squad in March, Collins will be promoted to Mike Tullberg's U19 side next term despite his 17th birthday not being until January. It is hoped that by the time his current contract is upgraded to a professional deal in the summer of 2021 he will be closing in on a permanent berth within the senior squad.
Collins' rapid development has not gone unnoticed around Europe. Both Manchester City and Juventus have been credited with interest over the past 12 months, but it was Chelsea who came closest to luring him away from Dortmund. The Blues have been monitoring his progress for three years, with some reports suggesting they were working hard to bring the teenager to west London this summer.
"He was very grown up with the situation," his current head coach at U17 level, Sebastian Geppert, tells Goal and SPOX . "We talked a lot with each other. Ultimately, it was his decision. We are very happy that he chose us and a future together."
Lehmann adds: "A few days ago, his mum and Nnamdi told me that Dortmund was his club and it was his dream to make it as a professional with us. That's how I always perceived it."
It is not difficult to see why so many clubs have shown an interest in Collins given his wide range of attributes, most notably his remarkable pace. Dortmund have clocked the youngster at 3.8 seconds over 30 metres - a time which would see him finish just a 10th of a second behind ex-BVB star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a foot race.
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Collins has also been noted for his ability when in possession, with many marking him out as the perfect model of a modern central defender.
"Nnamdi's speed is his greatest weapon," Patrick Fritsch, who was a promising talent in Dortmund's academy in the mid-2010s before being forced to retire at the age of 19 due to injury and has worked with Collins as a coach for the club's U17s, tells Goal and SPOX. "In combination with his good technique, he has an extraordinary style of play. He is not the classic central defender. Despite his size, he is is also a really good footballer."
Former coach Lehmann adds: "I believe that Nnamdi played a maximum of 10 long balls with us in the two years. Off the ball he aims to solve problems in a creative way while he can obvously also use his speed.
"He loves intense, direct duels. In the air, due to his size and timing, he is hard to beat, regardless of whether it is an offensive or defensive header. The force and technique with which he hit the ball were exceptional for his age, especially in the U15s. An additional strength for us was that he was always on the front foot and would suddenly appear, with or without the ball, in the opponent's box.
"I think that Nnamdi knows that his development is far from over. Nnamdi always has a grin on his face and has definitely kept his feet on the ground. His parents attach great importance to this."
With the speculation regarding his future set to die down, Collins will be able to focus solely on that development. Defenders generally have the longest wait when it comes to being able to establish themselves having completed their academy tenures, but Dortmund are more than happy to blood young players if they believe they are ready.
In Collins they have a teenager who is doing all the right things to suggest he will be able to step up in the not too distant future.
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