That barely managed to stabilize their decline.
They had since gradually reduced their debt, but they still owed a huge sum.
"My team and I have run the numbers. If spending 20 million euros to sign Wang Shuo can get us into the Champions League spots and significantly boost our revenue, then it's a deal worth making."
For a team like Dortmund, qualifying for the Champions League means at least 30 million euros in revenue each season.
And that's just for the Champions League group stage.
Dortmund's revenue had declined in recent years precisely because the team lost its Champions League qualification.
"However, I must also remind everyone that a major reason Schalke 04 suffered a loss of over thirty million euros was that after finishing third in the league in the '07-'08 season, they were eliminated in the Champions League preliminary qualifiers last season."
In other words, they didn't make it to the Champions League group stage.
