The new home of USMNT prospect Cole Campbell - Meet small town Bundesliga club Elversberg

“He was a record signing, which shows how much we believe in him,” Elversberg technical director Josef Welzmüller said about US men’s national team prospect Cole Campbell in an interview with Transfermarkt. Newly promoted Bundesliga club SV 07 Elversberg paid €6 million to Borussia Dortmund for the 20-year-old winger. “He’s a fantastic player. He’s very fast and strong with the ball and good in one-v-one situations.” Transfermarkt caught up with Welzmüller to chat about Campbell and the secret behind the club's ability to rise through the divisions while also developing talents.

Campbell will be a big part of Elversberg’s push to establish themselves in the Bundesliga. The newly promoted side will make their Bundesliga debut on Saturday when they face Bayer Leverkusen. Based in Spiesen-Elversberg, a tiny town of just 13,080 inhabitants in Germany’s Saarland, Elversberg becomes the club to represent the smallest locality in Bundesliga history. Despite its small size, however, Elversberg have produced some fantastic talent. Nick Woltemade played here on loan from Werder Bremen, as did Fisnik Asllani, who helped Hoffenheim reach the Europa League last season.

Other big names to have played here include former Bayern Munich talent and Austrian international Paul Wanner. Now Elversberg hope that Campbell could be the next top talent to break through at the club. That would be massive for the club, because unlike Woltemade, Asllani and Wanner, Elversberg actually own Campbell’s contract. But the young American isn’t the only young player Elversberg have banked on this season.

Elversberg: 'We can't afford proven players'

Other young stars that have joined this summer are Maurice Krattenmacher (from Bayern), Noah Darvich (on loan from Stuttgart), Francis Onyeka (on loan from Leverkusen) and last season's 2. Bundesliga top goalscorer Noel Futkeu (on loan from Frankfurt). “We can’t afford proven players,” Welzmüller said. “Our budget could afford one or two, but then we would break our entire wage structure. Also, we always intended to bring in top talent and develop it. That’s our core business. Cole is a very good recent example of our approach. We will have a lot of fun with those young players over the next few years.”

This strategy has seen Elversberg rise from the fourth division to the Bundesliga in just four years. Elversberg, in fact, managed back-to-back promotions from the Regionalliga Südwest (fourth division) to the 2. Bundesliga in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons. They then finished 11th in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season and narrowly missed promotion a year later, losing to Heidenheim in the relegation playoffs. Last season, no relegation playoffs were necessary as Elversberg finished second.

The quick rise up the table has led to comparisons to Wrexham and Hoffenheim. But Elversberg do not have Hollywood stars or tech billionaires financing the club. Instead, the strategy from day one has been to develop talent and play a brand of football that can endure no matter the division the club plays in. “Our track record speaks for itself,” Welzmüller said, who relies on a scouting department of just two people to build his squad.

The next Woltemade? Why Elversberg is perfect for Campbell

Indeed, Elversberg’s rise is even more remarkable given that the club has lost key people over the last two seasons. Horst Steffen, who led the club to a relegation playoff spot in the 2024/25 season, left for Werder Bremen one summer ago. He was replaced by Vincent Wagner. The club also lost sporting director Ole Book to Borussia Dortmund. “The most important thing is that we made our identity part of our brand,” Welzmüller said. “When you see us play, then it is unmistakably our club. Ole and Horst also left a strong structure in place. So when they left, it worked out.”

All of this makes Elversberg a unique story in German football. They are a small club with an already strong track record of developing talent. The sort of place in which Campbell, who after all is one of America’s top young players, could reach his next level. In fact, the winger could soon be named alongside Woltemade, Asllani, and Wanner among the club's young talents. Only this time, Elversberg hope to capitalize by selling the player.

How does Elversberg make players better? “The players get their time on the pitch,” Welzmüller said. “Whether it was Woltemade, Asllani or Wanner, the players came in and were quickly given responsibilities. That is a story we can tell the agents we speak to when we try to sign players. We give each player an individual development plan, and the agents know this, and that helps our work.” It has helped Elversberg reach the Bundesliga, and perhaps with the help of young Campbell, they might be able to stick around for a bit.