It was known that FSV Mainz 05 was looking for reinforcements for its offensive in the past few weeks. There was general guesswork as to where the Rheinhessen would get a player who fits their profile and could help them straight away. Especially since sports director Christian Heidel has repeatedly pointed out since the general meeting in autumn that the squad is not larger due to financial constraints rather than for sporting reasons. In this respect, the signing of the previous Leverkusen player Nadiem Amiri comes as a big surprise. If the 27-year-old turns out as hoped, it would be a real coup, given that the club has signed him until the summer of 2026.
One of the pioneers of this transfer was Jan Siewert, who as a coach was not only involved in the personnel considerations of the club’s management, but has also known Amiri since his time in the youth national teams – at that time, the current 05 coach worked for the DFB youth team. “I didn’t know that Jan and Nadiem had known each other for a long time,” said sports director Christian Heidel on Thursday in the press conference before the game against Werder Bremen, “but it quickly became clear in the discussions that this plays a big role. “
He also felt that the five-time national player, who only made eight appearances at Bayer this season, including one in the starting line-up, wanted to be on the field regularly and for longer periods of time. “And he’s closer to his family” – for the Ludwigshafen native, the change is “a bit like returning home.” All of this ultimately led to Amiri “choosing Mainz 05 despite our difficult situation.”
“It’s a feat of strength”
This transfer will cost Mainz around 1.5 million euros. Did the club take a financial risk for this? “It is a show of strength, but not a decision that will get us into economic difficulties,” assured Heidel. When asked whether the club has money, he never answers yes, because otherwise every access would cost twice as much. “But you can see that we have it when we need it.”
There were also enough funds in the budget to loan Jessic Ngankam from Eintracht Frankfurt until the end of the season. The fact that the striker, who only moved from Hertha BSC to the Main in the summer, didn’t get a chance under Dino Toppmöller says nothing about the 23-year-old’s qualities, says the Mainz coach. “I have also known Jessic for a long time and think that our style of play suits him better,” said Siewert. With his deep runs, Ngankam is the right man for Mainz’s switching game.
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Both newcomers are in a position to immediately help the team, which has slipped back to 17th place in the table. “Both have the drive to score, depth and acceleration,” said Siewert. In contrast to Ngankam, who was relegated from the First League with Hertha last season, Amiri has not yet experienced a situation like that of Mainz, “but he is fully prepared. “It was clear to me after our first phone call that he fit in here as a person and that he wanted to take on the task.”
Making the offensive game more precise than in the recent games against VfL Wolfsburg (1:1) and in Frankfurt (0:1) will be easier with a man like Amiri. Christian Heidel emphasized the importance of the home games against Werder Bremen and Union Berlin on Saturday (3:30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) and Wednesday. “I don’t know how to measure importance, but these are pivotal games. If we don’t succeed both times, we’ll have other things to worry about. If we win both, we have a good chance of getting out of the relegation battle.”