VfL Bochum: Sports director Patrick Fabian on transfers and scouting

Sports director Fabian praises coach Letsch

Thanks to the new coach Thomas Letsch, sporting director Patrick Fabian has found new courage in VfL Bochum’s relegation battle. “The team led by Thomas Letsch has now won five out of nine competitive games, four of them in the Bundesliga. The lonely relegation battle has now turned into a competition in which we are within striking distance,” said the 35-year-old in one go club interview.

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Fabian recalled the poor starting position of Bochum shortly after the separation from Thomas Reis in September: “At the time of the takeover, the team had one point and was bottom of the table. Schalke were five points ahead of us, Augsburg eight, Cologne nine points ahead.” Meanwhile, VfL, second to bottom in the table, are only one point away from a non-relegation zone.

Fabian gave the new coach good marks during the World Cup break: “He’s experienced, clearly structured, communicative and follows a playful plan that fits in well with the club’s philosophy. Due to the difficult starting position, we had to manage the balancing act of finding someone who could achieve short-term success effects and still be able to shape and develop something in the medium to long term.”

Fabian left open whether Bochum will strengthen the squad during the winter break: “The transfer window is always special in winter. The World Cup will certainly make things a little more complex. We have the ability to take action. But it must also make sense in terms of content and not just act like action. A team thrives on automatisms and trust. It is crucial when what is added to the group. Making transfers just to demonstrate that you are doing something is not effective and could even be counterproductive for the group.”

VfL Bochum present at Transfermarkt: “See where we can improve”

In principle, VfL is present on the market. “We’re looking at where we can improve. At the same time, however, there will also be players who cannot be satisfied with their situation with us. Here, too, it is important to evaluate individual cases accordingly and to discuss possible changes,” continues Fabian, who also wants to focus on the scouting of Bochum – but not only.

“It’s not just about scouting, it’s about all sporting content issues. In the turbulent early days, day-to-day operations overshadowed everything else. Now it is more and more about driving forward strategic issues. Contract extensions included, as we managed to do with Patrick Osterhage’s long-term extension,” explained Fabian, who has to contend with tough competition on the transfer market.

“The competition for players who are interesting for VfL Bochum has increased. Many clubs, some with larger financial resources, are targeting the same markets. It’s all about speed and efficiency in scouting. It is important to clearly define your own game idea and individual position profiles in advance. In order to filter the pool of players, we can use the technical aids in the form of data and video scouting. Subjective perceptions can thus be made objectively measurable. Live scouting is then the most important part next to the personal conversation. There is no substitute for either of those things,” Fabian granted insights. “In addition, the market is always an information business: It is important to have an ear for which players are perhaps not satisfied or would like a change. All of this is associated with a corresponding amount of effort and clear teamwork.”

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