Union newcomer Tim Skarke slept in Oliver Kahn bedding as a child. One could say that this “fact about Tim”, as the Irons wrote in their announcement of the 25-year-old’s commitment, is more surprising news than the transfer itself. Skarke comes from the second division for free, speaks German and will be at Union in debut in the Bundesliga.
He follows footballers like Paul Jaeckel, Kevin Behrens, Robert Andrich and Sven Michel, who all met at least two of these criteria. Together with experienced veterans like Neven Subotic, Christian Gentner and Max Kruse, the other cornerstone of the transfer strategy, second division kickers have been Union’s prey scheme so far.
Union changes transfer strategy
They will remain so in the future, as Tim Skarke’s signing proves. And yet something seems to be changing at the Unionern. The first transfer of the summer was also a free transfer in the form of centre-back Danilo Doekhi, but the 23-year-old comes to Köpenick as the former captain of Dutch European Cup contenders Vitesse Arnhem.
“Union is a huge opportunity for me and I want to take the club further on their path,” enthused Doekhi. That must sound like music to Dirk Zingler’s ears. For years, the club, which he presides over, has rushed from success to success.
Zingler: “We don’t sit at the side table”
This is also due to the fact that the boss drives his employees with ambitious goals. In the years before promotion in 2019, Zingler demanded that they wanted to be among the top 20 in German football in the long term. After the second European Cup qualification in a row, he says: “We’re not sitting at the side table.”
After three years in the Bundesliga, Union behaves like an established first division side. That proved the second transfer of the summer. The U-21 national player Jamie Leweling from Fürth was signed for an estimated four million euros. Like Doekhi, Leweling stands for the new third pillar in the transfer concept: players who can develop and who not only improve 1. FC Union in terms of sport, but also promise high sales revenues in the future.
The club needs to develop financially
Again, it is a sentence from Zingler that explains the ulterior motives of this strategy: “If we are successful in sport, we must try to increase our income from this sporting success.” In addition to improved sponsorship and television income, this is done through transfers. So far, so trivial.
But in Union’s case, this transition period marks a turning point. Although the club signed a few younger players in the form of Paul Jaeckel, Tymoteusz Puchacz and Taiwo Awoniyi last year, Union prevailed against several league competitors in the battle for Leweling. After their sporting successes, the people from Köpenick not only have the intention, but also the strength to get involved in the popular shooting star market.
Other clubs are better off
With a clear goal: The club must develop financially in order to be able to structurally keep up with the new demands. Union’s 17 million euros in negative equity was the worst result in a league comparison at the end of the 2020 financial year. Comparable clubs like SC Freiburg, which are also successful with a preference for German players and consistency among those responsible, are in a much better position.
Despite the interrupted Corona season and the ghost games in the 2020 financial year, Freiburg achieved the best result in the league with a profit of 9.8 million. Solid management and the long Bundesliga affiliation give the people of Breisgau a solid foundation. Transfer proceeds are the appropriate reinforced concrete to ensure that the Unioner does not get lost in the sand of the Mark Brandenburg if they are unsuccessful.
Union makes itself independent
The architects of the sporting success are sports director Oliver Ruhnert, who has had to replace important players year after year and has nevertheless continuously improved the squad, and coach Urs Fischer, who is responsible for the team’s sporting success. A statistic describes their value for the club best. On average, Union spends the least money per point in the Bundesliga
The fact that the two still like working for Union is certainly also due to the fact that the requirements and tasks in their jobs have constantly changed due to the rapid development of the club. Despite this, the club begins preparations for a time after them.
More responsibility for Parensen
From the coming season, Michael Parensen should have more responsibility. Parallel to his manager course, the long-time crowd favorite will take over Ruhnert’s day-to-day tasks and be more present around the team. Ruhnert will remain head of the department, says Zingler. But: “Oli will take even more care of squad planning, will be out there more, will look at more players personally.”
Union offers two major benefits. On the one hand, the club is training the future sports director itself with Parensen. On the other hand, Ruhnert can devote himself to his core business in order to find players who can advance the Union sportingly and financially. Anyone who knows his success rate with transfers knows that this is not good news for the competition.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, 05.06.22, 12:15 p.m
Source: rbb