Situation puts strain on top performers
©IMAGO
A departure of Rot-Weiss Essen’s midfield engine Tom Moustier in the winter transfer window is getting closer: The 23-year-old is no longer part of the team’s training, according to a report by “WAZ”, because the situation surrounding his forced move to Estrela Amadora is putting too much strain on him and the Frenchman with Swedish roots is “not 100 percent clear in his head”. According to reports, the third division club does not want to put any obstacles in the way of its top performers, but an agreement with the Portuguese first division club regarding the transfer fee is still a long way away.
Moustier’s contract at Hafenstrasse runs until 2027, and in the current season he has six scorers in 17 league games. He was in coach Uwe Koschinat’s starting line-up 14 times during the first half of the season, only missing the games against Mannheim and Hoffenheim due to a red card suspension. Estrela Amadora, which had already signed Cologne talent Chilohem Onuoha in the middle of the week and had previously generated a significant transfer profit within a very short time by selling on former Viktoria player Sidny Cabral, had made an initial offer for Moustier below market value of 300,000 euros. Not enough for those responsible in Essen, emphasized board member Marc-Nicolai Pfeifer: “We wouldn’t even sit down at the negotiating table for the numbers that are mentioned by Moustier.”
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 | T. Moustier |
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Central midfield | ||||||||||
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The transfer is one thing, the search for an adequate replacement is the other problem that RWE is faced with in the Moustier case. The traditional club starts the second half of the season in fourth place at the weekend, with only two points separating the team from league leaders Energie Cottbus. Given this background, it is understandable that people are reluctant to let a top performer go at the moment.
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 | M. Brandt |
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Central midfield | ||||||||||
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Max Brandt from league rivals SSV Ulm is being traded as an alternative – they are said to have already reached an agreement with the player, but the Sparrows made it clear during the week that they did not want to let the 24-year-old go. Brandt’s working paper expires in the summer, and the people of Ulm are also likely to gamble on a maximum satisfactory transfer fee in view of the reinvestment necessary in the event of a departure.