Fritz explains at the transfer market
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Werder Bremen achieved one of the most surprising Bundesliga transfers in recent years with the loan of center forward Victor Boniface on Deadline Day. The 24 -year -old Nigerian was already on the move to AC Milan in summer, but the traditional Italian club was backed up because of supposedly medical concerns. Shortly before the transfer, the green-whites suddenly gave the opportunity to grab into the attacker of Bayer Leverkusen. What would have put Werder sports director Clemens Fritz at the beginning of July that Boniface would soon be admired in the Bremen jersey? “Not so much at the time,” explains the 44-year-old in the transfer market interview.
Before the upcoming Bundesliga game against SC Freiburg on Saturday (3:30 p.m.), the manager gives detailed insights into the conclusion of the deal. “In the course of a transfer phase, you have a lot of conversations and knock a lot. Johannes Jahns (squad planner; D. Red.), Peter Niemeyer (license manager) and I were extremely common on the phone. The crucial one is as much information as possible. On day X, conversations can be concretized, two days later the topic can have been done again – and the next day it goes on again,” says Fritz, ” meets him for a detailed conversation inside the Weser Stadium.
The native of Erfurt explains: “There is not this a straight plan. You have to react and prepare to scenarios if you fall away so that you can keep leaving. The later you are in the transfer window, the more options. Then you have to take a certain risk because you could immediately press the one button, but you could have someone with higher quality. On the safe side? ” The Bremen people took on the same – and the track. When asked whether he is a risk or type of security, Fritz says with a smile: “I tend to courage. Nevertheless, I’m not the guy who puts everything on a card. I always try to wear a parachute to get a good landing.”
Thanks to the obligation of Boniface and the new additions Yukinari Sugawara (Southampton), Isaac Schmidt (Leeds) and Cameron Puertas (al-Qadsiah), which was also perfectly made late, the market value of the SVW on the home stretch increased to 195 million euros, which the club from the Weser at the 20 largest cadrees in the past Transfer window.
With a taxation of 40 million euros, Boniface has been the most valuable Bremer since 2004 – the year, as a transfer market introduced the market values. Previously, this was Milot Rashica, which had a market value of 35 million euros in December 2019. Sports director Fritz was under pressure after the departures of strikers Marvin Ducksch and Oliver Burke. How was Boniface, who was allowed to dream of other goals at the beginning of the transfer window himself, suddenly to crack for Werder?
Fritz explains: “We had a very good conversation with him. It was important to get a feeling for each other. It is no secret that Victor was also in discussion at another club, where we may speak of another category. As Werder Bremen, of course, you would like to know from him: Can you imagine playing this in the Weser Stadium? Can you identify with our club, our way and our goals? Quick on a denominator. ” In addition to Fritz coach Horst Steffen, Jahns and Niemeyer, at the table. “Sometimes we divide this to two conversations, but in this case we had to press a little on the accelerator at the back,” said Fritz.
Werder Bremen’s good connection to Bayer 04 and Rolfes helped at Boniface
The good wire for Bayer 04 and a former teammate, who now works as a sports director of the Doubles winner of 2024, proved to be the door opener. “You are in an exchange with clubs and I have known Simon Rolfes for a long time. We sometimes exchange your thoughts without being concrete. They have their homework and we have ours without wanting to go into the content of our conversations. But through our exchange I knew that Victor Boniface could possibly open a door. And we said: So let ourselves be implemented! Leverkusen would not have been so good.
With Puertas
All entrances and exits at the SVW
To overview
Top access Boniface is still under contract by 2028 at Werkelf. Leverkusen had transferred 22.6 million euros for the services of the beefy offensive player brought by Union SG from Belgium in July 2023. For the time being, cooperation with Werder is designed for one year, a purchase option – unlike the other rental players – has not been agreed. First of all, it is important for Boniface to get 100 percent fitness in order to be able to give the SVW the greatest possible impulses. The start was promising: when Joker assisted Justin Njinmah for the 4-0 final score in Gladbach.
Does Werder have a chance to keep Boniface beyond the season? Fritz replies to TM: “You can’t say that at the present time. We are moving in the here and now. The season has just started. We want to integrate Victor in the best possible way so that we can get his best performance out of him. We have to offer him the best environment for this – that’s why we take care of it. Everything else is topics of the future.”
Sequel follows: On Friday, sports director Clemens Fritz speaks in the transfer market interview about Werder’s wild transfer summer and intermediate transfer traffic jam, the shadow team of the Bremener, absolute conviction for 10 million shopping Samuel Mbangula and frustration due to a burst deal. In addition, the manager explains the different transfer fees for Michael Zetterer and Marvin Ducksch.
