Freiburg head coach rueful of Everton’s ‘last-minute’ Merlin Röhl swoop | OneFootball

Freiburg head coach Julian Schuster has spoken on Merlin Röhl’s surprise move to Everton on transfer deadline day. Schuster noted that the financial parameters of the deal regrettably left him without a player he had specific plans for. Freiburg’s tactics through two Bundesliga matchdays this season surprisingly suggested that Röhl might have played a role for the Breisgauer this season.

Contrary to what was observed during summer training camp, Schuster didn’t wish to use Swiss phenom Johan Manzambi in the No. 10 slot. Manzambi moved back to pair with Maximilian Eggestein in a midfield double six. New summer arrival Yuito Suzuki worked as the ten. A poor start to the season from Suzuki, Manzambi, and right flanker Eren Dinkçi left plenty of room for Röhl to work his way back into the XI.

“It all came about on very short notice,” Schuster told Kicker when speaking about the deal that sent the 23-year-old Merseyside. “We naturally would have liked to keep Merlin, but it’s been made clear that an offer of a certain amount [potentially €25m] can constitute an argument for letting certain lads go. We still possess plenty of [squad] depth and are confident the players we have will be sufficient.”

GGFN | Peter Weis