1
The next of 18 Bundesliga transfer primers to be published here on Get German Football News tackles bravely tackles the FC Augsburg “tire-fire”. The Bavarian Swabians seek to get back to basics following the disastrous “sexy rebrand” that saw Sandro Wagner blow the club off course. This author – like so many German footballing enthusiasts – has expended quite a bit of time and spilled a seemingly endless amount of ink trying to pick up those pieces.
With that fact firmly in mind, we’ll do our utmost to focus on the future here. Manuel Baum has officially been tapped as the trainer to lead this short term rebuilding project. Whether or not the popular club man stands much of a chance hinges on how this newly re-organized front office handles the forthcoming window. New sporting director Benni Weber needs to get much right here in order provide Baum with the right personnel.
FC Augsburg
Yes, this is damned humiliating.
Winter Predictions Check, FC Augsburg
Predicted Table Position – 11th place
Actual Table Position – 15th place, 14 points
(4-W, 2-D, 9-L)
(-11 G-Diff)
What more can the author say? He kept up his enthusiasm for the Wagner regime as long as he could. When it came time to personally attend matches at this club for which he holds a genuine soft spot, he eventually fully got on board with what the loyal ultras and active members wished to say. The voices of fans – as is usually always the case in the world’s best footballing league – have been heard. How do we fix it? That’s the most important question remaining.
Autumn Transfer Assessment, FC Augsburg
Estimated Summer Transfer Balance = –€10.2 million
We need to begin by reminding everyone that the summer transfer class remains a very good one. In general, the millions leveraged were spent well. Once the author gets his obligatory (and tired) gripe about the decision to loan out Steve Mounie off his chest, it’s time to praise a bunch of new actors who thoroughly deserve it. Han-Noah “Hans” Massengo continues to live up to his early-season promise as a solid ‘midfield metronome’. Robin Fellhauer’s awesome early season heroics and Anton Kade’s amazing recent form surge prove that this administrative team plucked some excellent German scrappers this summer.
In Fellhauer and Kade, the FCA team essentially brought in hard fighters in the “Fabian Rieder” ankle-breaker mold. Rieder himself has worked out extremely well save those three terrible performances in the Mainz, Hoffenheim, and RB Leipzig blowouts. Insofar as the scoresheet is concerned, Elias Saad has sadly proven a total flop. The author nevertheless isn’t prepared to give up on either Saad or his fellow Tunisian international Ismäel Gharbi; of whom we’ve simply seen far too little. The cohort of youngsters (like Noahkhai Banks and Mert Kömür) signed to new deals in the offseason also just need more time.
Some will correctly point to the fact that investing €4m to acquire Cedric Zesiger permanently ended up being a waste of money but, honestly, how could have that been foreseen?? Zesiger was an absolute beast last season. So too was one of his defensive partners Chrislain Matsima, who constitutes an absolute “gold star investment”. Michael Ströll and the rest of the new crew largely got it right. Financially, the club is also in very good shape. The club-owned stadium brings in a lot of revenue. Membership is soaring (above 30,000 this year) and Ströll announced a €18.1m net annual gain at the last general meeting.
Dead Weight Ledger and Expiring Contracts, FC Augsburg
It’s sadly time to cut ties with former promising Germany U21 internationals Maximilian Bauer and Arne Maier. With the team contesting a relegation race, it makes sense not to park youngsters like Oliver Sorg or Aiman Dardari (who can contribute) elsewhere. Mahmut Kücüksahin, Felix Meiser, and Franz Bleicher, meanwhile, can head elsewhere if they’re destined to spend too much time in limbo between the reserves and seniors.
Dead-Weight Ledger = Maximilian Bauer (CB), Felix Meiser (CB), Mads Pedersen (LB), Franz Bleicher (CM) Mahmut Kücüksahin (DM), Philip Tietz (LS)
There’s plenty of indication that takers for Mads Pedersen and Philipp Tietz can be found. Some 2. Bundesliga outfits might also be interested in investing a little cash in the likes of Meier or Elvis Rexhbecaj. It would be prudent of the front office to snag a little cash on the latter two who sit on expiring deals. One genuinely hopes that skipper Jefferey Gouweleeuw can make it back from injury in time to at least make a symbolic appearance before his contract runs out.
Expiring contracts = Jeffrey Gouweleeuw (CB), Arne Maier (CM), Elvis Rexhbecaj (CM)
Further Needs and Rumored Links, FC Augsburg
Ahem. Some additional help on the left-hand-side of attack might be useful, but mostly one needs to triple weight the need for a true lead striker. One expects them to pick up two or three candidates for that role in the coming few weeks. At present, there isn’t much salacious bubbling in the rumor mills. If the Mërgim Berisha whispers prove true, the author would be totally shocked…and frustrated as hell.
Some of the talk of Augsburg taking Wolfsburg striker Dzenan Pejcinovic on loan (just as he begins to find a little form) makes much more sense. Simply stated, this front office (after years of huge misses) desperately needs a striker that will hit. Not another Berisha, Dion Drena Beljo, Irvin Cardona, Ricardo Pepi, Pep Biel, Kelvin Yeboah, or Nathanaël Mbuku.
An LONG overdue hit!
Further Needs = LB, LW, CF, SS, LS
Rumored Links = Raoul Petretta (LB), Adin Licia (RW) Mërgim Berisha (CF), Dzenan Pejcinovic (CF)
