When the star hairdresser announces a transfer
For over a year now, there have been rumors that Hertha BSC wants to sign midfielder Diego Demme. There have been new waves, but nothing concrete. Now it seems to be the case, the 32-year-old is reportedly joining the second-tier football club in Berlin.
This time it's really happening. The Hertha BSC rumor mill is not only running hot, it's cooking: Is Diego Demme really joining the second-division team in Berlin? The rumor mill at transfer portal Transfermarkt.de is at 82%. Things could move quickly now, the signs have piled up. Many questions arise: Was Demme already training with the team? And what does Berlin star barber Abbas Berjawi have to do with it?
But in order: The story of Demme and Hertha BSC begins roughly thirteen months ago. Among fans, it has since become a running gag. On May 26, 2023, Sky reporter Lisa de Ruiter reported that the Berlin club wanted to sign the defensive midfielder. "However, the club can only plan properly once the license is in place," she wrote further. But: Demme was already in Berlin.
The report came a day before Hertha BSC's last Bundesliga game against VfL Wolfsburg. The Berliners had slipped into the relegation zone in the previous week, with Keven Schlotterbeck heading them into the second league in the fourth minute of stoppage time. It was the logical end of a time when Hertha BSC had repeatedly managed to avoid relegation: They had become table 14, a year later they were in the relegation playoffs against HSV, and in the previous summer they were last in the table. The 1:1 draw at home in the Olympiastadion marked the beginning of an uncertain future.
Financial Problems
For a long time, it was unclear whether Hertha could even compete in the second league. The licensing dispute dragged on for months. Four years after ex-investor Lars Windhorst had injected 374 million euros into the club, Hertha was almost economically unmanageable. The short-term salvation was the new investor 777 and the delayed repayment of a 40-million-euro loan.
But not all problems could be solved. The club was still economically in the intensive care unit, as it was said then. Things are a bit better now: For the first time in years, revenues cover expenses. However, the next seasons will decide how it goes with Hertha. Every year in the second league reduces TV revenues, every year the squad must be further slimmed down, every year makes the promotion less likely.
Back to Demme: On June 12, 2023, Hertha received the green light from the DFL for the license, on the same day there was new Demme news. Transfer expert Florian Plettenberg tweeted (that was still the case then) that there was an "oral agreement" with the player, but not with his club SSC Napoli. On June 27, it was reported that the Italians were interested in Hertha's Lucas Tousart. A swap was possible, Pletti reported. But: Further negotiations were planned. In August, it was reported that Demme wanted to come and also take on the captaincy. At the end of the month, the then 31-year-old had rejected the transfer.
Even the Demme-(Not)-Switch showed: In the new football world, transfers are becoming more and more of an event. When Harry Kane, the captain of the English national team, joined FC Bayern, there were almost second-to-second new updates last summer. More than 28,000 people followed the private jet that brought him to Munich on a tracking site. The interest in these topics is huge, and there is now even a separate category of transfer journalists who publish new waters every day.
In Berlin, it was quiet after the previous summer. Hertha had to make do without Demme because he was too expensive, and the then coach Pal Dardai didn't have the team together until early September due to licensing chaos and uncertainty. But the new season had already started, so the start was also completely off track. Berlin's midfield remained a construction site throughout the entire season. Dardai tried numerous combinations. Sporting Director Benjamin Weber made adjustments in the winter and loaned Barkok Ayman from Mainz 05. Hertha dreamed of promotion towards the end of the season, but ended up in ninth place in the table.
Experience and Leadership
And what did Demme actually do in all that time? Well, not much football was played. In Naples, he played in only three matches in the previous season. And even in the championship season, a year before, it was only seven appearances. He didn't get much playing time. German football fans know him best from his time in Leipzig, where he played a total of 217 league matches. Leipzig received a total of ten million euros from Naples in the winter of 2020.
Now he is switching freely, because since July 1, he has been without a club. According to "Kicker," he will earn significantly less at the "klammer Hertha" than he did in Italy. The "ball-winner and tackler" is also said to bring "a large portion of experience and leadership" with him. Hertha BSC is already preparing for the renovation of the central midfield with the new coach Christian Fiel. The contract of midfielder Deyovaisio Zeefuik was surprisingly extended. In addition, they signed Kevin Sessa from Heidenheim and snatched up the former Bayern talent Michaël Cuisance. Demme is said to help the Berlin team "on the Berliner Weg," which means building on their own talents.
Whether he can really give that to the team remains to be seen. According to several media reports, the transfer is on the last centimeters. In this week, the monotonous transfer chaos finally comes to an end. Fans have allegedly already seen him on training ground images from Tuesday. A few days ago, he posted an Instagram story at Rosenthaler Platz in Berlin. And, the real final confirmation that it's about to happen: The Berlin star barber Abbas has already cut his hair and posted it on Instagram with a "Welcome." This time it's really that far.
Transfers and rumors continue to swirl around Hertha BSC, with midfielder Diego Demme being the latest subject of speculation. Despite previous setbacks, reports suggest that Demme is set to join Hertha BSC, potentially adding experience and leadership to the club's midfield.
The potential signing of Diego Demme could be a significant boost for Hertha BSC, who have been struggling financially and on the pitch. With Demme's experience and proven track record in the Bundesliga, he could help the club stabilize their midfield and potentially aid in their promotional aspirations.
