If Fredi Bobic really had something to say, not just at Hertha BSC but in all of world football, he would have initiated important reforms long ago. If it were up to him, he would shorten the summer transfer period, which currently ends in late August or early September in the Bundesliga, by a whole month. Deadline August 1st. But: “That’s wishful thinking now,” says Bobic, the sports director of the Berlin Bundesliga team.
It won’t happen like that. And yet: One will be allowed to dream. If Bobic could do what he wanted, then he would be spared a lot of stress at the moment. “It’s getting hotter every day,” he says. The rumors spread – until next Thursday at 6 p.m. the transfer window for the Bundesliga clubs closes.
Until then, Hertha’s sporting director will probably be on the phone a little more than he already is. “The market is very wild right now”. he says. “One or the other can still happen to us, but there is no guarantee.”
Maybe a new striker, probably a goalkeeper to replace the suspended Rune Jarstein and possibly also a central defender: the Berliners need various positions. Since the transfer of the previous captain Dedryck Boyata to FC Brugge and this week, this is particularly true for Hertha’s defence.
The club has already given up four central defenders this summer: in addition to Boyata, Jordan Torunarigha (KAA Gent), Omar Alderete (FC Getafe) and Niklas Stark (Werder Bremen) have also left the club. Just as many central defenders are currently still in Hertha’s squad.
Ahead of the home game against Borussia Dortmund this Saturday (3:30 p.m., live on Sky), Filip Uremovic, who pushed Boyata out of the starting XI, is suspended after being sent off last weekend; that he would not be available anyway due to knee problems and that the young Linus Gechter was also unable to train recently due to a flu infection.
The 18-year-old Gechter was absent for almost ten days due to illness. On Thursday, too, he was only able to complete an easy individual session. Before the game against BVB, only the final training session on Friday would be good enough for a starting XI. It is therefore unlikely that Gechter, who played the last of his 13 Bundesliga games four months ago, will be in the starting XI on Saturday.
The central defense with Marc Kempf and Marton Dardai pretty much sets itself up against Dortmund. The fact that both are left-footed is no obstacle for coach Sandro Schwarz. “It’s often the case that you play with two right-footed players in central defence. Why shouldn’t it also work with two left-footed people?” he asks.
Like Linus Gechter, Marton Dardai has played little in recent months. In the past season, he has repeatedly struggled with injuries. The 20-year-old only started twice in the second half of the season for Hertha’s pros.
At the beginning of this season, Dardai was initially left out because he was still in action for the German U-21 national team after last season and therefore started the preparations late. He has since caught up. He was substituted on in the last two Bundesliga games. “He’s really on his toes now,” says Sandro Schwarz.
Gechter and Dardai both come from their own offspring and, according to Hertha’s coach, are “two young, very well trained players who have a lot of potential”. Fluctuations in performance at her age are not uncommon. “Marton’s development hasn’t reached its limit yet,” says sporting director Bobic. “There can be a lot more to come. He knows that too. It’s up to him to become a top player in his position. Time speaks for him.”
Two experienced central defenders – Kempf and Uremovic – plus two talents from their own youth: Bobic can certainly imagine starting the season with this constellation. “I don’t think it’s that important to bring someone in for central defence. Four central defenders are usually enough for a season,” he says. “The current situation doesn’t bother us so much that we say: We absolutely have to do something.”
Don’t panic and still keep your eyes open to see what else the wild market has to offer in the final days of the transfer window. According to Sky, Hertha is interested in Uruguayan Agustin Rogel, 24. His contract with Argentinian first division club Estudiantes expires at the end of the year. “If we can improve our squad, we will do that,” says Fredi Bobic. “If not, then not.”
