Karlsruhe top scorer
Sports director Oliver Kreuzer from Karlsruher SC continues to believe that top scorer Philipp Hofmann (28) will stay, but is also preparing for his possible departure. “I still have hope that he will stay. But Philipp knows that we also have to look for alternatives,” said the 56-year-old of the “dpa”. “If after the first quarter there is still no solution with him, it could be that we have to plan without him. Of course, the prerequisite for this would be that we have someone by then that we are completely enthusiastic about and with whom all the general conditions are right.”
Hofmann, who is one of two trained center forwards in the squad alongside Malik Batmaz (21), could leave the club on a free transfer after this season as his contract ends. With a market value of 1.8 million euros, the former junior international in the 2nd Bundesliga is the most valuable professional in his position with an expiring contract (overview). After 25 matchdays, Baden are in ninth place with a seven-point lead over the relegation zone, with the team’s top scorer Hofmann playing a major role with 13 goals and four assists. In a league comparison, only five players scored more goals.
With KSC striker Hofmann: Best scorers in the 2nd Bundesliga 2021/22
For months, KSC has been trying to persuade the striker, who is flirting with a move to the first division, to extend his contract. “We went to the limit financially with the offer we made to him,” said Kreuzer. “He has a familiar environment here, great esteem and an extremely high level of acceptance throughout the club. He can remain one of our formative faces. And we also want to set up the club in such a way that in the medium and long term we can sometimes set goals higher than staying up.” Hofmann has been with the club since 2019, when he came to KSC on a free transfer from Eintracht Braunschweig.
In addition to the attacker, the contracts of ten other players are expiring, including Benjamin Goller (23), whose loan from Werder Bremen is ending. The list also includes veteran Daniel Gordon (37), with whom the club wants to meet “in four to six weeks”, as Kreuzer said. It will be seen “whether he will hang on for another year”. “One way or the other, we definitely want to keep him at the club.”
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