Semir Telalovic: Gladbach whereabouts only with a Bundesliga perspective

“I first accepted the ball that came at chest height and then took it down. Then I saw that the defender gave me a little space. I thought that the goalkeeper had an obscured view and that I was bringing the ball onto the goal with real speed,” Telalovic began. He shot the ball from around 20 meters after a header from Marvin Friedrich, who was also a substitute, at the goal of Stuttgart keeper Fabian Bredlow, who was able to deflect the ball to a corner.

Telalovic’s shot in the fifth minute of added time was Gladbach’s best chance of the second half. Afterwards, someone who is noticeably a goalscorer spoke about it. “I was hoping that the ball might be slightly deflected, but I just wanted to get it on target with gusto – hoping it would slip through somehow,” Telalovic said. “I thought it fit because I hit it really perfectly.”

The Gladbach U23 goalscorer knows his way around goals. He has scored twelve goals in the current season in the Regionalliga West, plus 13 assists for the striker, who moved to the Lower Rhine from regional league club FV Illertissen in January 2022 and previously completed an apprenticeship as an electronics technician for automation technology.

Telalovic made his Bundesliga debut under coach Daniel Farke in the 1-0 defeat in Augsburg in January. A brief appearance against Leipzig followed in March, and he was now allowed to play for a few minutes in Stuttgart. “After my last two assignments I was hoping to get another assignment sooner, but it wasn’t like that. It was all the nicer to play in the Bundesliga again. Unfortunately, we didn’t reward ourselves,” said Telalovic, who, in addition to a strong finish of his own, also has an eye for his teammates.

He has long since attracted attention with his performances in the U23s, so that higher-class clubs are interested in signing him in the summer. Although Telalovic’s contract with Borussia runs until 2024, another season in the regional league is not the goal that the striker is pursuing. “If I stay with Borussia next season, then with the pros. If not, we’ll have to see,” said Telalovic.

Gladbach would have to show him a perspective in which Telalovic has a realistic chance of being an integral part of the Bundesliga squad in the coming season and also being used regularly. A new top striker with the hoped-for goal quota, behind them Telolovic as a substitute, that’s theoretically conceivable. However, with Borussia looking to sign two outside attackers following the departure of Marcus Thuram, it’s more likely that Telalovic will not feature in Farke’s plans going forward.

Telalovic’s path should then lead to a second or third division club after the season. Until then, further Bundesliga appearances cannot be ruled out, because Thuram will not be available to Borussia at the weekend against VfL Bochum (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.).