Hertha BSC had an important visitor on Tuesday. Joshua Wander, head of the US private equity company 777 Partners and thus the designated new shareholder of the Berlin Bundesliga club, sat in the VIP stand during Hertha’s 5-0 defeat against VfL Wolfsburg, with a blue and white scarf around his neck . “Nice that you were there,” said sports director Fredi Bobic about the visit of a larger delegation from Florida.
It shouldn’t be too long before the formalities are clarified and 777 Partners takes over the shares in Hertha held by the previous investor Lars Windhorst. With the successful conclusion of the deal, the club hopes that the company will provide additional money.
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Hertha can use it, actually for the current transfer period, which ends next Tuesday. But at least nothing will come of it.
In any case, sports director Bobic had to answer a question about possible new signings on Thursday, which he had answered a hundred times recently: There is no money. And no money means: no new players.
The staff
On Tuesday evening, in the game against VfL Wolfsburg, an impressive series came to an end at Hertha BSC. Had to three minutes before the end Jonjoe Kenny be replaced with a throbbing head. Until then, the right-back had been on the pitch every second of the season.
Kenny will also not be available to coach Sandro Schwarz on Saturday in the derby against 1. FC Union (3.30 p.m., live on Sky). On too Augustine Rogel he has to give up. The Uruguayan centre-back received his fifth yellow card against Wolfsburg and is therefore suspended.
The day after the defeat against Wolfsburg, Rogel had to stop training after twisting his knee. The ligaments were not damaged, but according to Hertha BSC Rogel will be out for the next few weeks. Against Union will probably Filip Uremovic take his place in the back four.
“You don’t go to the bakery either, you don’t have anything in your pocket and you get a pretzel. You probably won’t get that for free either,” he said. “You have to see the realities too.”
The problem is: The reality has worsened significantly for Hertha in the past few days. Due to the two defeats at the beginning of the year, the team fell back to a relegation zone.
In addition, the poor performance against both Bochum and Wolfsburg raised fundamental doubts about the suitability of the squad for the relegation battle. In this respect, Bobic no longer sounded quite as categorical on the subject of transfer as he did during the training camp in Florida.
We still have to do a bit of magic.
Managing director Fredi Bobic on possible transfers despite empty coffers
It can be taken for granted that he wants something other than what the budget planning specifies. Axel Kruse, a former teammate and good friend Bobic, vehemently called for new players in the RBB podcast Capital Derby. In the situation Hertha is in, “I have to take a certain risk,” he said. Especially since a relegation would definitely cost the club more expensively.
“Of course, we’ll also consider until the last day of the transfer period whether anything is still possible. We still have to do a bit of magic there,” says Bobic. But even if another player comes: “It will not be the Messiah. That’s for sure. Actionism will not help at all in our situation.”
Niederlechner can be used flexibly
At the moment it is not particularly difficult to assume the role of savior or supposed savior at Hertha. Florian Niederlechner managed to do this largely without doing anything of his own. Last week, Hertha brought the transfer of the 32-year-old offensive player forward by six months from summer to winter.
After Niederlechner was not available for the first two games due to a thigh injury, he could now make his debut for Hertha BSC in the derby against 1. FC Union (Olympic Stadium, Saturday, 3.30 p.m.) of all places.
“We can assume that he will definitely be in the squad,” said coach Sandro Schwarz. Even a bet from the start cannot be ruled out, but it also depends on the tactical approach Black chooses: Does it stay with 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3? Or will he switch to a 4-4-2 with two strikers, then with Niederlechner alongside the largely invisible Wilfried Kanga?
Specialist for 1. FC Union. Niederlechner has already scored five goals against the Köpenickers.
© IMAGO/Nordphoto
“He can be used very flexibly,” says Hertha’s coach about the new signing from FC Augsburg. Niederlechner can play as a hanging striker, but also in one of the two wing positions in a 4-3-3 or as a sole striker. “It’s very good, especially when it comes to start-up behavior,” says Schwarz.
On Wednesday morning, in the reserve training session after the defeat against Wolfsburg, Niederlechner was on the pitch with his colleagues for the first time. In the eight-a-side, he scored four of his team’s five goals and hit the post twice. “He left a very good impression in his first training session,” said Schwarz.
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Sports director Bobic not only relies on Niederlechner’s football skills, but also on his mentality. “He’s someone who always goes full throttle,” he says. “We need exactly those guys.” Real derby guys, so to speak.
Niederlechner likes Union anyway. He has scored five goals in his career against Hertha’s local rivals. Even this season he has already scored against Union, in FC Augsburg’s 2-2 win at the Alte Försterei. Florian Niederlechner scored both goals for FCA.