Third division team with big ambitions
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The media in the United Kingdom and Germany agree that Phil Neumann (27) will end up with English third division leaders Birmingham City. The controversial question now is: When? While there is already talk of a fixed winter transfer in England, the reports here are much more reserved. Hannover 96 is also reserved.
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 | P. Neumann |
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Central defender | ||||||||||
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Sports director Marcus Mann confirmed that he had not yet been contacted by anyone about a winter change.Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung“. At the “PictureThe 40-year-old added, looking at Neumann: “I don’t know what he does in the summer. But all I can say about the winter is that no one has contacted me yet.”
The central defender’s contract expires at the end of the season, so he is free to decide. Neumann and 96 had not been able to agree on an extension in the fall. Things should now look different with Birmingham. Like the “HAZ” and “Sky“Report, there is an agreement with the Blues for the coming season – but nothing more yet.
Hannover certainly won’t sell off the top performer for a small fee; that doesn’t fit with the 96ers’ ambitious promotion goals. However, it is also unlikely that Birmingham will offer a transfer fee of around 4 million euros, as was the case last summer, so close to the end of the contract. At that time, Hannover had already let Bright Arrey-Mbi (21) move to Braga for 6.2 million euros, which is why the sale of another central defender was put a stop to.
To date, Neumann has played all games of the season over the full distance, only having to sit out the 17th matchday due to a yellow card suspension. The right-footed player has more than tripled his market value to 3 million euros since arriving in Hanover. 96 already has its designated successor in the ranks with Josh Knight (27), who was brought in from England’s League One in the summer, and Kenneth Schmidt (22) was recently loaned from SC Freiburg to play in the defense center.
Lucrative Neumann offer: Birmingham with great ambitions
But why is Neumann drawn from being a promotion candidate in the German lower house to England’s 3rd league? Birmingham currently leads the table by two points over Wycombe Wanderers and Wrexham, and coach Chris Davies’ team has also played fewer games. Club boss Tom Wagner has also not kept quiet about his big plans for the club, which last played in the Premier League in 2011, in recent months. “Our ambitions will blow you away,” he said in the fall.
Birmingham already topped the spending of twelve Bundesliga clubs on the transfer market in the summer. According to reports, Wagner wants to invest another three-digit million sum in the team next season, which is the most valuable in League One with a squad value of almost 47 million euros. In the future, Neumann will receive more than double his 96 salary. There are also plans for a new stadium with up to 60,000 spectators for the UK’s second largest city.
Next to Neumann: Birmingham interested in Maloney
With Lennard Maloney (25), Birmingham has another professional from Germany on their list alongside Neumann. The defensive player wants 1. FC Heidenheim according to “SkyIn addition to the Blues, PAOK Thessaloniki and three unnamed Bundesliga clubs are said to be among the interested parties.
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 | L. Maloney |
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Defensive midfield | ||||||||||
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Vice-captain Maloney fell behind in Heidenheim at the end of the year. Coach Frank Schmidt did not consider him for the last two games and criticized the lack of focus on the sporting tasks. It is “definitely not” a question of whether Maloney will extend his expiring contract. “But in the overall context, the situation as to what happens next in the winter plays a big role,” admitted the Heidenheim coach.
Christoph Klarer (24), a central defender from Germany, had already moved from SV Darmstadt 98 to Birmingham in the summer for a fee of 4.15 million euros – one of the three most expensive transfers in League One history. “We don’t have to kid ourselves. We are clearly the top favorites and finishing below first or second place would be a big defeat and disappointment,” said the Austrian in the Transfermarkt interview. “But I am absolutely convinced that we will live up to our role as favorites and be at the top in the end.”