Stefanos Tzimas: “Klose totally changed my view of football”

“Main reason why I’m here”

The market value of Stefanos Tzimas was increased fivefold in the December update in the 2nd Bundesliga and climbed to a double-digit million amount. In the run-up to the duel between his 1. FC Nürnberg and Eintracht Braunschweig (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.), the now most valuable player in the lower house together with Hertha’s Ibrahim Maza spoke about, among other things, the reasons for his meteoric rise since moving to the Valznerweiher and a possible transfer in a European top league.

Tzimas has nine scorers from 13 league games and his performances in the first half of the season have made him the focus of various clubs, including VfB Stuttgart. The 18-year-old center forward moved to the club on loan from PAOK Saloniki in the summer. His contract in Greece runs until 2028, but Nuremberg has a purchase option worth a rumored amount of 18 million euros. The second division club’s previous record purchase was for a sixth of this amount. There would probably be no alternative for the FCN to resell it for an even higher sum if the clause were activated.

When asked about his future from summer 2025, Tzimas said in an interview with Kicker magazine: “Honestly, I have no idea. Of course there is a lot written, but I don’t read all of it. I don’t want to think too deeply into stories like this because I don’t want to lose focus here. I’m happy, enjoying everything and am fully focused on Nuremberg.” The five-time Greek U21 international doesn’t have a favorite team in Europe, but he described the Premier League as his “dream league”.

Shooting star Tzimas: “At home from day one” at 1. FC Nürnberg

The 1.86 meter tall center forward has settled in well on and off the pitch in Franconia, he continued: “Sports director Olaf Rebbe, coach Miroslav Klose and the entire environment made me feel at home here from day one. I’m very happy about that. The whole club sorted everything out immediately, like finding an apartment, a car and so on. This means I can concentrate fully on sport. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support. Our training ground is huge and we spend a lot of time here. Life in the city is quieter. You go out less than people in Thessaloniki do, and people here are more disciplined.”

Compared to his homeland, football in Germany is “much more intensive, (…), the game is much more physical, the level is high.” The quality in the 2nd league is “significantly better overall. What really amazes me is the great and mostly full stadiums. We can fit 50,000 spectators in Nuremberg, I’ve never played in front of so many people. In Hamburg there were 57,000, most recently in Cologne also 50,000. In the second half of the season we’ll be going to Berlin to play Hertha or Schalke, and I’m really looking forward to this atmosphere.”

Tzimas: “Miroslav Klose is the main reason why I’m here”

The youngster cites his coach as the main reason for his move last summer. “He is the main reason why I am here,” said Tzimas about Miroslav Klose and at the same time gave insight into the process of his transfer:

“Olaf Rebbe knew me from his time as sports director at PAOK. Apparently he knew that I was probably only planned as a third striker there for the season. At some point I was on vacation with friends and Miroslav Klose called me. I was impressed that Miroslav Klose wanted me. But we then had excellent conversations and ultimately he convinced me to move to Nuremberg together with Joti Chatzialexiou and Olaf Rebbe. It was the best decision I could have made.”

His meteoric development over the past few months is largely due to the 46-year-old Klose, “who has completely changed my view of football. I now see and do many things differently. How I move, how I think now, smaller tips from him to bigger things – basically everything. I’m a totally different player now. The match practice that I now get on a regular basis also helps me, as I was hardly used at PAOK. With every game and goal my self-confidence grows stronger.”

When it comes to development, Tzimas still sees room for improvement in all areas, “above all, my technique needs to get even better.” 1. FC Nürnberg hasn’t won in the 2nd Bundesliga for six games and they want to play against Braunschweig The offensive force announced that it would now “present itself better again” in the run-up to the game on Saturday evening.

Currently six points separate the club from the relegation place. Tzimas attests: “We have a really good team that has a lot of potential, but we are also a very young team and so there are always fluctuations in performance. We had a very good phase in the first half of the season, but things aren’t going so well at the moment. That’s why it’s important that we win the last game before the winter break against Braunschweig.”