The season is on. What’s going on at Hertha BSC? Everything about it here in the blog.
Two talents from their own offspring are leaving Hertha BSC – one of the two initially only temporarily. While Jonas Michelbrink, 21, is moving to third division club MSV Duisburg, Mesut Kesik, 19, will play for Göztepe Izmir until the end of the season. The Turkish second division club has no purchase option.
“Jonas is talented and on a really good path. He has prospects – and we are convinced that he will quickly make it into the third division,” says Ralf Heskamp, MSV’s sporting director, about Michelbrink. The midfielder, who was born in Hanover, switched to the youth department of Hertha BSC in 2014. In May 2021, Michelbrink celebrated his Bundesliga debut for the Berlin pros. Overall, he has two first-division appearances for Hertha.
As a rule, however, he played for the U23s in the Regionalliga Nordost. In 45 games for coach Ante Covic’s team, he scored four goals and provided nine assists. In Duisburg he receives a two-year contract. “We see a lot of potential in Jonas that he can make our offensive even better in terms of football,” says MSV coach Torsten Ziegner. “In addition, he also radiates goal danger.”
Mesut Kesik switched from 1. FC Union to Hertha U17s in the summer of 2018. He signed a professional contract in February. At that time he was still playing in Hertha’s U19s, of which he was captain and with whom he made it to the final of the German championship.
“He has developed very positively both on and off the field in recent years,” said Hertha’s manager Fredi Bobic about the defensive midfielder. Kesik absolutely deserved the professional contract. “We have great confidence in him and his qualities.”
At the beginning of the preparation, Kesik was allowed to train with the pros under coach Sandro Schwarz. However, the native of Berlin did not travel to the training camp in England. Now he should collect game practice in the second Turkish league.
Hertha BSC offers immediate help to discriminated visitors at home games. Under the slogan “Where is Lotte?”, the Berlin Bundesliga club is now helping those affected by discrimination in the vicinity of the stadium visit. In addition to helpers in conspicuous pink vests, those affected can also visit a shelter in Block O, where they are cared for. A project team from the Fan Support, Corporate Social Responsibility and Digital Media departments developed this offer of help over a period of one and a half years. “The concept ‘Where is Lotte?’ is an important step towards a safe stadium experience for everyone,” said Hertha’s managing director Thomas Herrich. The code word “Where is Lotte?” is intended to overcome the inhibitions of those affected to seek help. The helpers with the pink vests then take those seeking help to a trained team. In addition, the association can refer the persons concerned to trained partner organizations so that they can later receive professional help. In addition, Hertha is also available outside of match days to provide assistance in cases that are reported later. (dpa)
