In contrast to previous years, when Bayer 04 made significant purchases, the club has no acute plans to become active in the winter transfer market. Despite all the reports from Mexico regarding a new goalkeeper for the Werkself.
The reports from Mexico were clear – namely clearly nonsense. Even though various media had been reporting for days that Bayer 04 were interested in goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo (25) from Santos Laguna and that an agreement had even been reached.
But the Mexican international will not be moving to Leverkusen, as sports director Simon Rolfes (“There’s nothing to it”) made clear. After all, Bayer already has four goalkeepers under contract as of January, if U-21 international Lennart Grill (still with Brann Bergen until the end of the year) is not loaned out again.
If no player wants to leave in the winter because he has too little playing time, we will not be active on the transfer market in the winter
Acevedo is not coming as – nor is any other addition planned for the upcoming winter transfer window, as Rolfes stressed. “If no player wants to leave in the winter because he doesn’t get enough playing time, we won’t be active on the transfer market in the winter,” the 39-year-old explains.
Rolfes also points out that from the new year onwards, the long-term injured – right-back Timothy Fosu-Mensah and six-man Julian Baumgartlinger – should also be available. Then all positions in the squad will be at least double-occupied.
Unlike last year, when Leicester City’s Demarai Gray was signed in the winter for the then understaffed wing positions, as well as full-backs Fosu-Mensah (Manchester United) and Jeremie Frimpong (Celtic Glasgow) due to the injury plight, Bayer are acutely not planning to be active in January.
If no reservist wants to leave the club and there are no new long-term injuries, Rolfes, who also made two major purchases in the winter of 2019/2020 with Edmond Tapsoba and Exequiel Palacios, sees no reason to add fresh blood to the squad in January.
