“It was clear to us that Daniel was on the list with higher-class clubs thanks to his outstanding performance this season. He absolutely deserved this chance, and we couldn’t and didn’t want to stand in the way of that. We thank Batzie for a great time in Saarbrücken and wish him every success in Mainz,” said trainer and manager Rüdiger Ziehl.
Mainz 05 head coach Bo Svensson praises Daniel Batz
The departure of Batz, who still had a contract with FCS until the summer of 2024, was no longer a surprise since Monday at the latest. According to the specialist magazine “kicker”, the player with the best grades in the past third division season did not appear at the start of training for the blue-blacks, and according to FCS sports director Jürgen Luginger was “released” for contract talks with another club.
Bo Svensson, head coach of FSV Mainz 05, was full of praise for Batz, who received a two-year contract in Mainz. “Daniel has been the best goalkeeper in the third division for years, and in the joint discussions he quickly convinced us that he was exactly the right person for us, even apart from his good performances on the pitch,” said Svensson, “he will be next to his He has a lot of experience in terms of sporting quality and is also a great guy who will be an excellent addition to our team.”
05 sporting director Martin Schmidt said: “With Daniel we have expanded our goalkeeper team with an experienced veteran between the posts. In the past few years, he has proven several times that he has what it takes to play consistently at a high level, and his personality also fits our profile perfectly.”
Successor to Daniel Batz at 1. FC Saarbrücken has been determined
For Batz, the decision to go to Mainz is “for a likeable club with an enthusiastic audience and a clear, dynamic game philosophy”, as he is quoted in the club’s press release, “it also offers me the opportunity to play again at the highest level and with a Bundesliga club to work under highly professional conditions. We had very positive talks and I’m looking forward to getting started with my new team-mates for the ’05s on Sunday.”
Shortly after the Batz message, the third division team announced the commitment of goalkeeper Tim Schreiber. The 1.91m tall native of Freital was loaned to Holstein Kiel last season and played 10 games there in the 2nd Bundesliga.
First report from June 26th: is he coming or not And once he’s there, will he stay? The future of goalkeeper Daniel Batz was also the dominant topic on Monday afternoon before the start of training in front of more than 500 fans at third division soccer team 1. FC Saarbrücken. “Daniel is free today to hold talks,” said FCS manager Rüdiger Ziehl after the unit with newcomer Kai Brünker (came from second division 1. FC Magdeburg), “everything else is speculation.” The probability of a move to the Bundesliga club FSV Mainz 05 tightened, however, according to SZ information, the change should have been announced on Monday evening. However, an official confirmation was not forthcoming by the time we went to press.
Batz seems to be history at FCS
The FCS had decided that they would only agree to a premature termination of the contract if a first division club asked. So the efforts of Fortuna Düsseldorf and Hannover 96 were in vain from the start.
Batz moved to the state capital from local rivals SV Elversberg in 2017. The goalkeeper, who initially seemed rather snooty, developed into an opinionated spokesman in the dressing room and an absolute top performer on the field. After saving five penalties in the DFB Cup quarter-finals against the then Bundesliga club Düsseldorf 2020, his shirt got a place in the German Football Museum and “Batzi” a place of honor in the hearts of the fans. Even a song was dedicated to the “face of the successes of recent club history”. Now Batz, who fits seamlessly into the ranks of great FCS goalkeepers from Erwin Strempel to Dieter Ferner to Peter Eich, seems history.
These could be Batz’ successors
The future in Ludwigspark now belongs to other, much younger goalkeepers. According to SZ information, 21-year-old Tim Schreiber and 22-year-old Tim Kips should be on the shopping list. Kips from Luxembourg played last season on loan from FC Erzgebirge Aue at regional league team RW Koblenz. In 21 appearances for the relegated team, there were 42 goals conceded. Schreiber is under contract with RB Leipzig, but is still on loan to second division club Holstein Kiel until 2024. He has made ten appearances there so far.
In addition to Batz, no other FCS player is currently considering leaving. There are currently no offers for talent Luca Kerber either, so at least there is planning security. Shortly before the first training session, FCS announced the second newcomer. Four-time junior national player Patrick Sontheimer is moving from league rival Viktoria Köln to the blue-blacks. The 24-year-old from Marktoberndorf is a “very dynamic and strong-running player who, with his versatility, will expand our options in midfield,” explained coach and manager Rüdiger Ziehl, and despite his young age he brings “a lot of experience to the team.” Right foot in 56 appearances in the 2nd and 119 in the 3rd division. Sontheimer will get jersey number 6.
FCS expects newcomers in the next few days
Dominik Becker is not a real newcomer. After the loan from Werder Bremen expired, the central defender has now signed a two-year contract with the blue-blacks. “Things certainly didn’t go perfectly for him in the last year and a half,” said Ziehl, “but the development in the last few months has been very, very good. Especially when he played from the start.”
On Monday, Ziehl had 18 players in training, three of them youngsters. Bjarne Thoelke is still suffering from a torn muscle from the Saarland Cup final against SVE and is due to start next week. Frederik Recktenwald (dental surgery) is expected back this week. And new arrivals? “In the next few days, one or the other will come along,” said Ziehl patiently, “when the 1st league begins, there may still be loan options. That’s why it doesn’t make sense to fill up the squad completely.”
2023-06-27 17:52:00
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