Soccer Bundesliga - Runners-up VfB: Settling into the new role
The sleek jacket, which he had thrown himself into, had nothing to do with his promotion, Fabian Wohlgemuth made clear directly to him. The 45-year-old has not been Sport Director at VfB Stuttgart for a week now, but Sport Board. Slipping into this new role should be much easier for him than for his team. It comes suddenly as Vice Champion, near perfection, and is once again in the middle of a transition. Big challenges await the Swabian football Bundesligist, who has already brought in eight new players and yet risks being torn apart.
Guirassy and Anton are leaving
At the training start, Wohlgemuth confirmed the rumors of a departure for performance leaders Serhou Guirassy and Waldemar Anton, which had been circulating for weeks. "Both have informed us that they are leaving the club," said the sports chief. The striker and the defensive chief will both be dealt with Borussia Dortmund and have buyout clauses in their VfB contracts. According to Wohlgemuth, these have not yet been triggered. The duo, along with Hiroki Ito, who went to FC Bayern Munich, will soon be gone.
The hoped-for impact of the contract extension of trainer Sebastian Hoeneß in April remained elusive for the time being. At least the named trio could not be kept from leaving. Both Wohlgemuth and Hoeneß assure that they were prepared for this. Dealing with it and finding new leadership players will be a challenge for them.
"It's just the way things are and business," Hoeneß said about the departures. Of course, he was also "sour" at first that it developed this way. However, the previous developments please the coach, who looked motivated and cheerful as he gathered his team.
Seven new signings at the first training session
Seven new signings were present at the first team session, which, due to the EM in the directly adjacent stadium, could not be held publicly as in previous years: Jeff Chabot, Justin Diehl (both from 1. FC Cologne), Nick Woltemade (Werder Bremen), Yannik Keitel (SC Freiburg), Frans Krätszig (FC Bayern), Ramon Hendriks (Feyenoord Rotterdam), and Stefan Drljaca (Dynamo Dresden). Offensive player Fabian Rieder, who is on loan from Stade Rennes, is still with the Swiss national team and will meet England in the EM quarterfinals on Saturday.
Besides Rieder and the German EM players Anton, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Chris Führich, and Deniz Undav, goalkeeper Alexander Nübel and Guirassy were also absent, who are still on vacation. The nominated player for France's Olympic team, Enzo Millot, was also not present.
VfB is testing the Demirovic deal
As a possible replacement for striker Guirassy, Ermedin Demirovic from FC Augsburg could potentially come. "Whether he is interesting for us, we are checking again," said Wohlgemuth about the 26-year-old, who scored 15 league goals for the Fuggerstadters in the past season.
Many topics await the VfB in the coming months, including increased expectations in the environment, a different perception from the competition, the renewed roster upheaval, and new experiences in the Champions League.
Trainer and Sportboard will also be asked to act as moderators. It is clear that one cannot simply copy the previous season, explained Wohlgemuth. The Stuttgarter will have to find their way into their new role - with or without Sakko.
- Fabian Wohlgemuth hails from Baden-Württemberg, the region known as Swabia, and is now the Sport Board member at VfB Stuttgart in the Soccer Bundesliga.
- The departure of Serhou Guirassy and Waldemar Anton, key players for VfB Stuttgart, was confirmed by Wohlgemuth, with Guirassy heading to Borussia Dortmund and Anton to an unspecified club.
- The team from Stuttgart has already brought in eight new players, including Jeff Chabot, Justin Diehl, Nick Woltemade, and Yannik Keitel, and is facing challenges to integrate them while retaining its position in the Bundesliga.
- Wohlgemuth mentioned the potential interest in Ermedin Demirovic from FC Augsburg as a possible replacement for Guirassy, who scored 15 league goals last season.
- Trainer Sebastian Hoeneß and Wohlgemuth are preparing for the challenges ahead, including increased expectations, a different perception from competitors, and a renewed roster upheaval.
- Hoeneß acknowledged that he was initially "sour" about the departures but looked motivated and cheerful as he gathered his team, with seven new signings present, including Frans Krätszig from FC Bayern Munich.
- VfB Stuttgart is currently testing the Demirovic deal and faces many topics in the coming months, including new experiences in the Champions League, modifying their role, and potentially playing without Sakko.
- Wohlgemuth emphasized that they cannot simply copy the previous season's success and must find their new identity in the Bundesliga.
