There was only a short vacation between the season finale, crowned by promotion, and the start of the preparations. When the second division professionals from SV Wehen Wiesbaden started ball work under the guidance of coach Markus Kauczinski on Monday afternoon, the relegation success in Bielefeld was just 20 days ago. Squad planning is the most pressing issue behind the scenes: seven players, including three regulars and two professionals (Johannes Wurtz and Ahmet Gürleyen), who the club would have liked to have had on board a league higher, have left; five newcomers are already committed; In addition, the contracts of regular employees Nico Rieble and Gino Fechner have been extended.
Now the Wiesbadeners have lost some time on the market due to the extra shift in the relegation and the associated open question of whether the third division Dino will make it into the second division for the third time. However, Nico Schäfer has registered in these weeks that “the interest in coming to the SVWW is significantly greater than in 2019″. The managing director told the FAZ: “We are prepared for all eventualities. We will strengthen all parts of the team and are not finished yet, but we have been negotiating with some players for some time.”
Personality matters
The youngest free transfer announced on Monday is 27-year-old Marcus Mathisen. The Danish defender was most recently under contract with Swedish top-flight club IK Sirius. Apparently there is little further need in defence. With the former Nuremberg Bundesliga professional Martin Angha from the Saudi Arabian club Al-Adalah (free transfer) and the 2.01 meter tall Aleksandar Vukotic from the Belgian second division club SK Beveren (free transfer), two new central defenders started training at the Wehener Halberg on Monday. A few weeks ago, the striker Antonio Jonjic (Erzgebirge Aue) and the winger Amar Catic (ADO Den Haag) were signed regardless of the league.
Most recently, the scouting set up by sports director Paul Fernie, who was responsible for it again after his return to Hesse, has brought good results. Are the Wiesbadeners also aiming for the commitment of well-known professionals in this country for the new division, who have a lot of experience in the second or even in the first division? “We are now much more internationally positioned, in the end the goal is a balanced team structure,” says Schäfer. “What is decisive for the signing of a player is that he fits the profile we have set. Not only the data analysis and that it fits into the game system is decisive, but also the personality of the player, which is not dependent on a single division in a certain league.
Hollerbach in great demand
It’s no longer a secret that two important pillars of the promotion team could meet with interest elsewhere in the second division or even go straight up to the Bundesliga. Attacker Benedict Hollerbach and left-back Brooklyn Ezeh have developed strongly at SVWW. Because both are still contractually bound to the Hessians until mid-2024, there could be two special paydays for the promoted team. “It was not and is not our goal to sell Benedict Hollerbach and Brooklyn Ezeh, but not every transfer can be prevented. If we are remunerated accordingly, we are also prepared for it and can also operate with more leeway on the transfer market,” says Schäfer. 1. FC Köln is said to be interested in both professionals.
Alex Westhoff, Wiesbaden Published/Updated: , Alex Westhoff Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 1 Achim Dreis, Wiesbaden Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 4
This Saturday, SVWW will play its first test match against association league club FV Biebrich 02, and the Hessians will set off for the Tyrolean training camp in Fügen on July 4th. For the official start of the season, the club invites you to its own arena on July 15 (3.30 p.m.) with a game against the Belgian first division club VV St. Truiden, coached by German coach Thorsten Fink.