American forward Cole Campbell has signed with Bundesliga new boys Elversberg after leaving Borussia Dortmund.
The 20-year-old, originally from Houston, has signed a four-year contract that will keep him at Elversberg through June 2030, as announced on the club’s website on Thursday.
Sporting director Christian Weber expressed excitement over the acquisition, stating, “In Cole, we’re signing another highly talented player who will be a tremendous asset to us with his exceptional pace and one-on-one ability. We’ve been pursuing him for quite some time and are delighted that he has chosen to join us.”
According to Kicker magazine, Elversberg has paid €6 million (approximately $7 million) to Dortmund for Campbell, who joined the German club’s youth setup from Iceland in 2022.
Dortmund’s managing director of sports, Lars Ricken, praised Campbell’s talent, saying, “Cole is an incredibly talented player with a lot of potential. He made the leap to professional soccer with us. We thank Cole for his time with us and wish him all the best for his future, both on and off the field.”
Campbell had a brief loan spell at Hoffenheim last season, where he made five substitute appearances. He was also brought on as a substitute for Dortmund in a match against Heidenheim earlier in the season.
After initially playing for Iceland’s Under-17 team, Campbell transitioned to represent the United States at the youth level.
Campbell is the son of former Iceland women’s forward Rakel Karvelsson, who was born in Los Angeles and played college soccer at North Carolina. His father is American.
The young forward continues the trend of U.S. players emerging from Dortmund’s development ranks, joining the likes of Christian Pulisic, who is now with AC Milan, and Giovanni Reyna.
Elversberg secured promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time after finishing as runner-up in Germany’s second division last season.