Salzburg draws strength from a quiet transfer winter
Salzburg’s sports director Christoph Freund has achieved the “big goal” and “kept the team together”. New acquisition Ignace van der Brempt is expected to replace Rasmus Kristensen, who will probably be gone in the summer.
Salzburg’s sports director Christoph Freund looks ahead to spring.
APA
Christoph Freund only signed a few contracts in the transfer window that was open until Monday. “It was a very quiet winter with the departures, that’s nice for once,” said the sporting director of Series champion Salzburg. In this calm there should be the strength with which one wants to at least sniff the sensation in the Champions League round of 16 against Bayern. In the league, the “bulls” have almost nothing to fear anyway.
After 18 of 22 rounds of the basic round, you are 14 points ahead of the first pursuers Sturm and WAC – worries look different. The start will be on Sunday (4.30 p.m.) with the quarter-finals of the cup against LASK, on February 11 Matthias Jaissle’s team will be guests at Rapid before it is time for a showdown with Bayern at home on February 16 (second leg in Munich on March 8). March) is coming. “We have two difficult games ahead of Bayern,” said Freund. “It’s a great story that we’re really challenged right away. These are real location determinations.”
Aaronson and Camara held
According to Freund, Salzburg has already achieved the first goal. “The big goal was to keep the team together,” emphasized the 44-year-old. For example, the club could afford to turn down a €20m offer for Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson that had been rumored in the media. Mohamed Camara had also previously been linked with an immediate move to Atletico Madrid.
“Due to this extraordinary autumn, many boys want to continue to be there,” Freund said as one reason for the stability of the team. The other: “We have created a very, very good basis in recent years through our successes and above all our transfer income and are not under so much pressure.”
Freund raves about van der Brempt
The 18-year-old midfielder has come Oumar Diakite (“Very exciting and interesting”) from the Ivory Coast, partly Belgian Ignace van der Brempt. The right full-back will later slip into the role of Rasmus Kristensen, who will probably already be Salzburg history in the summer – as well as probably Karim Adeyemi, Camara or Aaronson. “Rasmus played a really good six months and showed a lot before that. There are definitely some interested parties,” said Freund.
Van der Brempt wasn’t a regular at Club Brugge, but he did prove his skills in six CL games. “He’s very fast and robust, someone who plays very aggressive football and fits in well with our style of play. We’re hoping for a lot from him over the next few years,” said Freund. “Maybe it’s unusual when someone goes from the Belgian to the Austrian champions, but the way he sees football and the way he works suits us perfectly.”
Our goal will continue to be to be the best U 22, U 23 in Europe.
The rejections of various offers for the “bulls” show a certain strength. For Freund, however, it is unthinkable that one moves away from the youth track. “We will not be less consistent on the path we have taken in recent years, but perhaps even more so. Our goal in the future will continue to be to be the best U22s and U23s in Europe.”