Should extend beforehand
©IMAGO
U19 national player Francis Onyeka will apparently be loaned out again next season. According to a “Sky” report, the 19-year-old midfielder is set to extend his contract with Bayer Leverkusen, which runs until 2028, and then move to newly promoted Bundesliga club SV Elversberg. The SVE has helped numerous players achieve their big breakthrough in the past.
The most prominent examples who have taken the next step in Elversberg on loan are Nick Woltemade, Paul Wanner and Fisnik Asllani. The concept of loaning young talents and supporting their development has led the club from Saarland to the Bundesliga. But the SVE has to upgrade, because with a squad value of 34.7 million euros they are in 18th place in the upper house, behind fellow promoted teams Schalke and Paderborn. The talks with Onyeka, in whom Brighton and SC Freiburg were also interested, are in their final stages.
Onyeka, who moved to Bayer’s youth team at the age of seven, impressively demonstrated his qualities during his loan to VfL Bochum. Last season, the attacking midfielder scored eight goals in 30 games and assisted on another goal. His market value climbed from 500,000 to 10 million euros over the course of the season – eighth place among German professionals up to 19 years old.
In Elversberg, the tenth position was the big construction site after the departures of Bambasé Conté (TSG Hoffenheim) and Immanuel Pherai (Hamburger SV), who are returning to their clubs after their loan period expired. This will not only be filled with Onyeka, but also with Bayern talent Maurice Krattenmacher. The 20-year-old is also coming to Saarland on loan from FC Bayern (see article).
In the summer, Onyeka will lead the U19 national team as captain at the European Championships. The DFB juniors will face Denmark (June 28th), hosts Wales (July 1st) and record winners Spain (July 4th) in Group B at the U19 European Championships. The tournament runs from June 28th to July 11th. There are great hopes for Onyeka, who has a strong record of eleven goals in ten games.