Mönchengladbach (dpa) – Relegation is as good as certain, and yet the to-do list for Borussia Mönchengladbach’s new sports director Roland Virkus is still full.
The 2-0 win at bottom SpVgg Greuther Fürth and an 11-point cushion on relegation place 16 hardly hide the fact that the season in the Bundesliga is ultimately one to forget. What’s next for the Fohlenelf?
About a year after the famous Champions League season with the end in the round of 16, a rebuild is needed. Since 2019, the Borussia squad has only changed selectively. “The structures within the group are perhaps a bit encrusted and need to be broken up. Fresh wind certainly doesn’t hurt if a team stays together for so long,” confirmed Virkus in an interview with “Kicker”. Squad planner Steffen Korell had previously admitted that he had to sell one or the other player “without being able to replace them with the same level”.
responsibility for young
That means: from the summer, the boys on the Lower Rhine will also have to take on responsibility. The 20-year-old midfielder Manu Koné, who started the 1-0 lead against Fürth through Marcus Thuram on Saturday, could slip into this role. The two defensive players Luca Netz (18) and Joe Scally (19) are among the hopefuls who are said to have great potential for development. But Virkus also knows that you are not competitive with an A-youth in the Bundesliga. Experienced players like goalkeeper Yann Sommer or national player Jonas Hofmann should be retained.
Due to Corona, Borussia did not make the hoped-for transfers last summer. Targeted contract extensions with service providers failed. Midfielder Denis Zakaria switched to Juventus Turin in winter.
Other players could follow the Swiss – such as the trio Breel Embolo, Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea. The three strikers each have contracts until 2023. With a sale this summer, a few million more could be flushed into the Gladbach coffers. But Virkus has now announced that he basically wants to keep the trio. “I will fight for the boys,” said Max Eberl’s successor, who left the club in the spring.
Tactical statements?
Perhaps these statements are tactics. Because Virkus also admitted that all three strikers who scored ten of Borussia’s last eleven goals may “pursue other goals”: “In the event that you don’t find an agreement, you would have to think about how to solve the situation.” Otherwise, the same scenario threatens as with Matthias Ginter, who changes free of charge after the season. Where the 28-year-old is going is unclear. “I can’t say anything new yet,” Ginter said.
A departure from Thuram was actually planned last year. But the change to the Italian champions Inter Milan fell through – among other things because of the knee injury, which cost the French a large part of the start of the season. Thuram experienced a career break. His shape curve is currently pointing upwards again. Three goals in the last five games should also arouse international desire.