VfB Stuttgart is the surprise team of the Bundesliga first half of the season. Club boss Alexander Wehrle explains in an interview why he is not afraid of a transfer knockout, what coach Sebastian Hoeneß does particularly well and what the vision for VfB looks like.
VfB Stuttgart also plays one of the main roles in the transfer hustle and bustle during these times. Top striker Serhou Guirassy is attracting interest across Europe with his 19 goals. The future of fellow striker Deniz Undav and backup Alexander Nübel beyond the summer is still unclear.
Club boss Alexander Wehrle is currently not afraid that the club will fall apart next summer or even earlier and will have to pay dearly for its success.
VfB Stuttgart: Transfer announcement from Alexander Wehrle
“There are always three parties involved in a transfer. The interested club, the player and us as a club,” said Alexander Wehrle in an interview with ntv and sport.de. “If everyone involved comes to the conclusion that a transfer makes sense, then we will do it. But we want to build a team, and for that we need a stable structure. I am convinced that the majority of our team will continue to play the red in the new season will wear a chest ring on the jersey.”
Coach Sebastian Hoeneß played a large part in the success, as he “led a young team out of a really difficult situation, developed the players and formed a stable team”.
“Sebastian Hoeneß is an extremely good communicator”
Hoeneß’ strength: The coach has a “clear plan that he explained to the team, the players follow it,” describes Wehrle. “He is very level-headed, but also implements his ideas with assertiveness. You can also see this in the game, that he can read a game very well and act or react accordingly. Sebastian is an extremely good communicator who understands it very well “To form a cohesive unit with good individual players. He also understands what makes VfB and our environment tick.”
The coach has to deal with a changed squad situation. Four VfB professionals are missing from the restart of the Bundesliga because of the African and Asian Cups (Guirassy, Silas, Hiroki Ito and Woo-Yeong Jeong). Wehrle sees these failures as “a challenge”. At the same time, this is “also an opportunity for all those in the team who haven’t always had a chance recently and also for our talents.”
VfB Stuttgart starts the new football year on Sunday (5:30 p.m.) at Borussia Mönchengladbach. The anticipation is “of course great,” says Wehrle. “We still have 18 games in front of us and have worked out a very good starting position. Our goal was and is to have a worry-free season, which for me means reaching 40 points as early as possible. As we know, we are still six points short of that.
VfB block at the home European Championships 2024?
Despite the excellent starting position, it is still too early to adjust the goals, emphasizes the club boss. “Once we have reached 40 points, then perhaps we will focus on new goals. Hopefully we will still have a few games ahead of us and won’t get the 40th point until the 32nd matchday.” The Swabians are ahead of the 17th matchday
And who knows, perhaps several VfB players will reward themselves with a nomination for the national team and the home European Championship in 2024. Chris Führich has already been invited, Undav spoke on the phone with Julian Nagelsmann, as well as Waldemar Anton, Alexander Nübel, Maxi Mittelstädt and Angelo Stiller are already being traded. Is there even a VfB block at the home tournament?
“If everyone could play the European Championship at home, I would be very happy for them and make the entire VfB very proud,” said Wehrle. “It would also be an award for our work. The players mentioned are important factors for our success.”
Wehrle’s plan for VfB Stuttgart
This yield should last as long as possible and not evaporate. “We want to be an established Bundesliga club by the start of the 2026/27 season. And no longer commute between the 1st and 2nd league,” explains Wehrle his vision of the future VfB Stuttgart. “Until then we want to play quiet seasons and offer attractive football in front of a full house.”
At the same time, the look goes beyond sport. “At the same time, we are also changing the infrastructure and driving forward the internationalization and digitalization of VfB. We want sporting success, but linked to economic reason,” said Wehrle.