Young, rich, in need of learning
Ilaix Moriba could have stayed at FC Barcelona with a view to playing time. Barça’s best-paid youth player in the club’s history, with a net salary of allegedly almost one million euros annually, still had a contract that was valid until 2022. But the conditions he is said to have called were too much for Barcelona in view of 1.3 billion euros in debt. Coach Ronald Koeman even publicly accused him of only thinking about money too soon. Various top English clubs have signaled their interest, and in the end RB Leipzig won the game for an official EUR 16 million transfer fee, which, if successful, should increase by a further EUR 6 million. Will it happen, the success? “It’s a bowler hat that has yet to be opened,” says a young Catalan football expert. Which means nothing else than that he still has a lot to learn.
City striker
Raising high expectations is not uncommon for Hertha BSC, who are currently bottom of the Bundesliga table, since the club has been funded by investor Lars Windhorst and sees itself as a “Big City Club”. Like the new Berliner Myciana Maolida, 22, advertised himself in the first interview on the club’s homepage, got along well with big ambitions right away. His strengths are “clearly on the offensive,” he said. “I like to prepare goals, but of course I also score goals myself”. He scored five goals and seven assists in 63 encounters for the French first division club OGC Nice. He is a flexible attacker, preferably a left winger. Before his move, he was advised by the former Berlin-based Mattéo Guendouzi: “He is of the opinion that I am a very good match for Hertha.”
Tear dried
This summer has turned Marcus Ingvartsen (in the picture on the left) originally presented differently. He wanted to play for Denmark in the European Championship, then with Union Berlin in the European Cup. When asked by Daily mirrorAs to whether he would stay in the capital, he said quite unequivocally at the end of May: “Yes.” At first he was missing from the EM squad, national coach Kasper Hjulmand did without him, Ingvartsen cried “a little tear”. And because Union is again one of the Bundesliga clubs that are crazy about transfers this year, buying and selling a lot, part two of the plan is now obsolete: The 25-year-old switched to loan with an option to buy to FSV Mainz 05. There, that’s the happy ending, plans Danish coach Bo Svensson put him in his favorite position in the storm. Ingvartsen was nominated again for the national team.
Young acquaintance
One of the complications of transfers after the start of a season is often that new entrants have to get used to their new job, their colleagues and the ideas of the trainer – and can then not represent a reinforcement as quickly as desired. at Marin Pongracic, Borussia Dortmund’s new central defender, committed to loan from VfL Wolfsburg, is a little different. The Croatian, 23, knows Dortmund coach Marco Rose better than his teammates. He played under him in Salzburg for two years. And he also has to help immediately: hardly a defender is fit at BVB. The ailing Mats Hummels and Emre Can only played 11 minutes each under Rose. Pongracic, usable as a center or right-back, already has 3892.
Farewell No. 29
With Ozan Kabak (in the picture on the right) Schalke 04 had great expectations when he came from relegated VfB Stuttgart in 2019. Only 19, but already an exceptionally good defender. The 15 million euro transfer fee seemed to almost guarantee a high return, which is why sporting director Jochen Schneider insisted on acquiring the full rights to Kabak and not, as offered, allowing VfB to participate in the resale for a discount. It looked like a surefire deal. But since then nothing has been safe at Schalke – except failure. Kabak is now the 29th player to have left the relegated team. Target: the English newcomer Norwich City, who pays four million loan fees and possibly 13 million for the final takeover. The return now mainly consists in the saved salary payments.