Busy with the Euro and reconsidering youth politics

By: Anna | June 12th, 2008

Seems like everyone involved with European football is busy with the Euro. I know I certainly am. But there still are things going in the background and it’s time for a news update.

Mario Gomez is, indeed very busy with the Euro: So busy he didn’t want to comment on the latest shocking rumour which claimed that he had signed a pre-contract with the FC Bayern. Actually the story wasn’t much more than a sidenote to the even bigger shock of Arsenal London’s Aleks Hleb joining the Bavarians. Unlike Gomez, who doesn’t answer the questions about this with more than a smile, Hleb openly said that there’s no truth at all about the stories and Uli Ferber, who manages both players, also stated that he didn’t know anything about negotiations with the German champion in both cases.

Mario Gomez wearing the muchly discussed hair band Gomez’ focus on the Euro goes so far that he now started wearing a hair band to keep his hair from falling into his face and disturbing his concentration. This message was so big it’s been addressed in several interviews, and so I felt obliged to give it a mention as well.

However he still isn’t focused enough to score his first goal at an international tournament. Apart from a missed chance and taking part in the set-up for the 1:0 against Poland, he’s been atypically invisible. Though I should probably be glad that he doesn’t catch too much attention from bigger clubs, it’s not something I like to see.

Stuttgart’s other players at the Euro haven’t left too much of an imprint, either (except for one). While Ciprian Marica is back in training after a light head injury and still waiting for his first match for Romania, both Fernando Meira and Thomas Hitzlsperger have been put on late during the match (Meira in both matches for Portugal, Hitzlsperger once in Germany’s first match against Poland) without changing much.

The one player who has shown the most effort is sadly the one who will definitely not stay for the quarterfinals: Ludovic Magnin took over the captain’s armband after the injury of Alexander Frei, but despite all efforts Switzerland didn’t make it to the next round.

Too bad, I don’t know any other European team whose captain manages to sing along to their national anthem fervently and wink at the camera at the same time. Though the other four Euro participants will be relieved now, since they had already been in fear of their Swiss defender’s merciless mocking, should their team go out before Switzerland.

Though not busy with the Euro, Stuttgart’s management is also very busy. After dozens of rumours about players leaving (Beck, Fischer, da Silva) or not returning from a loan deal (Gentner) and none of the transfers from last season convincing completely, the club’s officials have decided to return to the concept that proved to be successful before: Supporting the own youth.

In names, that means: After there already had been some disagreement about the transfer fee, now the decision is made to not let Andreas Beck go to Hoffenheim. Christian Gentner will most probably return at the end of next season – though Felix Magath seems to be disappointed about the negotiations failing and there’s even a chance Gentner might come back from Wolfsburg this summer already. Gentner himself says he hasn’t made a definite decision so far and didn’t want to exclude anything.

Negotiations are also going on with Manuel Fischer and Sami Khedira, the aim is to keep them in Stuttgart on a long-term basis.
Two of the young players who were introduced to the first team during last season have already left, though: Peter Perchtold, former captain of the VfB II, will play for Bundesliga relegates FC Nürnberg next season, midfielder Julian Schuster has moved to SC Freiburg. Good luck there!

Two players are still expected to leave: The Karlsruher SC made another offer for Antonio da Silva, the player doesn’t seem to have much of a future in Stuttgart and if the transfer fee is satisfying, he’ll go. There still aren’t any offers for Alexander Farnerud, though I heard the name Bröndby Kopenhagen mentioned somewhere.

Concerning Raphael Schäfer, the club is trying to “find a solution together. He’s got a contract with us and there is no reason to exclude him,” to quote manager Horst Heldt. Whatever that means.