TSG professional doesn’t want contract poker
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For Grischa Prömel, the goalkeeper debate surrounding the German national team is incomprehensible. The 30-year-old midfielder from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim sees his teammate Oliver Baumann as a top candidate for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The 35-year-old recently acted as a reliable placeholder between the posts for the injured Marc-André ter Stegen (33) from FC Barcelona.
“For me, this discussion about Olli Baumann is total nonsense,” said Prömel in the “WAZ” interview is clear. He is of this opinion because “I am very lucky to play in a team with Olli and see him in training every day. He has 501 Bundesliga games under his belt – that is not a coincidence, but speaks for itself. If you look at the last games in the national team, he often kept a clean sheet. It is not easy for a goalkeeper: he has to be there on the spot in just a few moments. And that is exactly what he was! That is why it counts for me “I’m putting both hands on fire to ensure that he has an outstanding World Cup.”
Baumann was in the DFB goal in all six qualifying games and was able to impress as a backup. The keeper conceded three goals and recently kept four clean sheets in a row. “Oli is an absolutely great guy who is super humble. We’re currently super happy with him, he’s doing great. We’ll see what happens next year,” said national coach Julian Nagelsmann about Baumann after the convincing 6-0 final win against Slovakia. In recent months there has also been discussion about a possible comeback by world champion Manuel Neuer (39/FC Bayern).
Prömel, who was called up for the national team once in November 2023 but has not played so far, is under contract with TSG until the summer. However, there is no rush for the Stuttgart native. “I’m pretty relaxed about it. We discussed with the club that after my long injury break we’ll see together how everything develops and what suits both sides. I’m happy that things are going so well for both me personally and for the team at the moment and that we’re successful. I’m not stressing myself out, but the topic will slowly pick up speed,” said Prömel.
Future at TSG Hoffenheim? Prömel doesn’t want to do any wild things
The professional, who tore his cruciate ligament in September 2024, told the “Kicker”: “I want to come back well after the long injury. The club also said that we would first look at the development; how we assess my role and development together. For me it was important to regain confidence in my body. I’m having a lot of fun here. We’ll get together in the winter.” Basically, he doesn’t want to rule anything out. “But I’m someone who likes to be safe. But I don’t play around with poker, I don’t do anything completely wild. As I said: I feel good, I’m in top shape, I can play all games over 90 minutes and I definitely want to play at the top level for a few more years.”
The right-footed player moved to Kraichgau from Union Berlin on a free transfer in 2022 and has since played 66 games in which he has eleven goals and seven assists. Its market value is 3 million euros. At the weekend, Prömel and Hoffenheim will face BVB away from home (Sunday, 5:30 p.m.). The emerging unrest among the Black and Yellows surprises him: “Well, I always ask myself: What do the fans and experts actually want? From my point of view, Dortmund wins games in the Bundesliga that they may have lost in the past. Football is a results sport. From the outside, of course, you notice discussions, but Dortmund seems very stable to me. With the best will in the world, I can’t imagine a player complaining when he wins a game 1-0. I myself am the first one through the dressing room runs when we have played a really dirty game – and sometimes those are the best results.”
There are currently enough of these for TSG: there have been five wins in the last six games and they are currently in fifth place in the Bundesliga – two points behind third-placed Dortmund.