It was only in added time that VfB Stuttgart secured relegation with a 2-1 win against 1. FC Köln on the last day of the Bundesliga match. Star striker Sasa Kalajdzic, who made it 1-0 for the Swabians in the first half, also played a large part in the acclaimed success of the VfB supporters. It could have been the Austrian’s last game for the club, as FC Bayern and BVB from the Bundesliga, as well as several top clubs from Europe, are said to be up against him.
After his serious shoulder injury, Kalajdzic found his way back to his old marksmanship in good time this spring. His goals in the closing stages of the season against Bielefeld, FC Bayern and Cologne were vital for VfB. Overall, the native of Vienna scored all of his six goals of the season in the second half of the season.
When asked about the many speculations about the change of center forward, Stuttgart sports director Sven Mislintat did not mince his words in an interview with “Sport Bild”: “It would be outstanding if we could keep Sasa as a player and as a guy in our team . In my opinion, this is not very likely.”
Recently, there have been increasing rumors that the Austrian international could be drawn to a Champions League club in the future. BVB was traded as a potential buyer from the Bundesliga, as was even the German record champions FC Bayern. From other European countries, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, among others, should deal with the personnel.
VfB manager Mislintat has no doubt that the 24-year-old could assert himself at a top European club: “Of course. Sasa showed in last year’s season, in the second half of the season and in the EM 2021 that he is one of the absolute top center strikers in Europe counts.”
Mislintat does not expect big leaps at VfB Stuttgart
The 2.00 m giant is tied to Stuttgart until 2023. For financial reasons alone, a summer transfer is almost a must for the Swabians in order to cushion the serious loss of millions from the most difficult Corona period.
Personnel planning in the Ländle is again being carried out at the expense of the sporting goals, and Mislintat made no secret of this either: “We have to generate a significant transfer surplus again this summer, so for me nothing other than the renewed objective of ‘staying up’ is realistic.”