Before the turn of the year, Borussia Mönchengladbach has clarity in the matter of Matthias Ginter and Denis Zakaria. Gladbach’s sporting director Max Eberl (48) welcomes the news.
Within less than 24 hours, two personnel matters were clarified that had occupied Borussia for a long time. Both centre-back Matthias Ginter and midfield attacker Denis Zakaria will leave the club. In the summer at the latest, and then free of charge.
“I didn’t want to put up with this stalling tactic any longer,” Eberl now clarifies in the “Sky” interview: “We have a complicated second half of the season ahead of us. We wanted to put aside all other thoughts that could play a role. “
We just don’t take any risks, no reckless moves.
The man of action at Borussia then went into detail regarding the departures. “Firstly, we let Matthias Ginter know through the agency before the winter break that we thought it was better, or decided it was better, to go our separate ways in the summer,” Eberl said. Gladbach were “not in a position to go along with these offers that other clubs are offering”. Inter Milan are said to be courting the services of Ginter.
Ghost games worsen the situation
“We in Germany live the Corona crisis very sensibly,” explains Eberl, adding, “We just don’t take any risks, no reckless steps.” Gladbach, too, is trying to keep costs “within bounds”. The ghost matches, which returned by decision on 28 December, play a role in this. With a view to the home games against Leverkusen (15 January) and Union (22 January), that is another “two, three, four, five million euros that are missing from our coffers”.
For Eberl, it was “only reasonable and logical that we act in such a way that the club will still exist tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and in five years’ time”. With Ginter, Borussia “couldn’t and didn’t want to”, said Eberl. “With Zakaria it was the case that he told us he would not accept the contract offer,” Gladbach’s sporting director elaborates, “Also on the grounds that we wanted to have decisions and these decisions are on the table. That is also a good thing. “
With Zakaria, it was expressly not just about money, but also about sporting prospects. Zakaria had already wanted to leave the club last summer. Because a transfer did not materialise, Borussia offered the Swiss a renewed contract extension. Zakaria declined.
Eberl: “We are not in a state of shock “
“We’re not going into shock and that’s why it won’t knock the club off its feet,” said a combative Eberl: “Instead, we now have clarity and we can work with that clarity.” Eberl did not want to rule out the possibility of Ginter or Zakaria leaving in the winter.
“We now have decisions regarding the budget for the new season, what we have free and what is still available. “
“If there is an outstanding offer for any player with us, then we have to sit down and decide. But the January market is not exactly the most productive,” Eberl knows: “The summer was already very complicated and January is not exactly better. “
For new additions, Borussia first needs transfer income. “We have decisions now regarding the budget for the new season, what we have free and what is still available,” explained Eberl. “We have ideas in mind, we already had them in the summer. And now we have to see what’s actually in the coffers in order to be able to spend something. “
