By Paul Gorgas and Carsten Priefer
37 days after being relegated from the Bundesliga, second division team Hertha’s mission to get back up has started! But before the start of the new season there are many unanswered questions at the capital city club. BZ gives the first answers.
On Monday, coach Pal Dardai (47) gathers his team at 4 p.m. for the public start of training on Schenckendorffplatz.
► How many professionals are at the start?
The XXL squad includes almost 40 players on paper. However, some professionals are still on the way. These include Marton Dardai (21) and Jessic Ngankam (22), who are currently contesting the U21 European Championship in Georgia. Krzysztof Piatek (27) and Deyovaisio Zeefuik (25), who were last awarded to Italy, are still on vacation. Dodi Lukebakio (25/Belgium) and Peter Pekarik (36/Slovakia) are not back from their international trips either.
Hertha’s Dodi Lukebakio and Marco Friedl from SV Werder Bremen in a duel Photo: city press
Six goalkeepers are currently planned in the goalkeeping area alone, including loan returnee Alexander Schwolow (31/Schalke) and the newly signed Marius Gersbeck (27/Karlsruhe).
► Is there now a “training group 2”?
In Hoffenheim, professionals who were no longer needed once had to train separately in “Training Group 2”. Dardai will first get an overview, hold many discussions and then consider appropriate forms of training.
One thing is clear: Dardai has also made it clear to players in the past if he is not planning with them. In 2015, Sandro Wagner (35) and Peter Niemeyer (39) had to train alone and then left the club.
► who should go
Krzysztof Piatek is one of Hertha’s top earners. The Polish striker is set to leave the club Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Revierfoto
Among the loan returnees, Hertha is looking for buyers for Piatek, Zeefuik, Schwolow, Myziane Maolida (24) and Luca Wollschläger (20). Marc Kempf (28), Agustin Rogel (25), Lukebakio, Lucas Tousart (26) and Suat Serdar (26) are also to be sold. Keeper Oliver Christensen (24) and Jonjoe Kenny (26) are allowed to go with appropriate offers.
► Which Hertha players have offers?
In addition to the coveted Lukebakio (including Inter, Villarreal, Freiburg), Frankfurt is digging at Ngankam. Derry Scherhant (20) is on the list for Newcastle. Hertha would like to keep both young strikers.
► who is new
In addition to Gersbeck, only Fabian Reese (25) and Gustav Christensen (18) have been confirmed as newcomers. The big problem: Hertha is first dependent on transfer fees from sales before the Berliners can buy themselves – a race against time less than five weeks before the start of the second division. The transfer window closes on September 1st. So that means: A concentrated warm-up of the team, learning automatisms, is hardly possible, since the squad will probably be changed again and again for over two months, players come and go.
► What construction sites are there?
At the start of the preparations, a new main sponsor is missing. The contract with “Autohero” (paid almost 7 million euros) ends on June 30th. Most recently, sneaker seller Stepan Timoshin (22) offered sponsorship for 1.5 million euros, Hertha refused. The club is hoping for a higher-value contract of at least around three million euros. It is doubtful whether this is realistic. Schalke, Stuttgart and Darmstadt, who have been promoted, are also still looking for a main sponsor – and are currently making a better overall impression than the club in the capital.
► What is the season goal?
In a letter to the bondholders of the recently extended EUR 40 million bond, there was talk of direct resurgence. President Kay Bernstein (42) said in a “FAZ” interview about the second division: “You can definitely get stuck in the league, but we don’t plan to do that. In order to classify that correctly, we have to wait for the summer. What is the competition doing, what does our squad look like? Only then can we realistically assess it. But not getting promoted would also work economically.” That means: No Hertha official will name a goal for the season before September.
Lots of question marks at the start – which Hertha’s managers have to get rid of quickly.