Fortuna Düsseldorf remain hopeful of attracting top division players | OneFootball

Florian Plettenberg reports that 2. Bundesliga outfit Fortuna Düsseldorf have thrown their hat in the ring with respect to the pursuit of Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus. The Flingeraner hope to swing a loan deal for the 10-times-capped German international. Such a coup nevertheless looks to prove difficult given that top division clubs like FC Augsburg are also interested in Neuhaus’ services.

As quixotic as Düsseldorf’s interest may appear, however, it is worth noting that F95 sporting director Christian Weber has already completed some high profile deals this summer. Weber procured former highly promising Germany U21 international Kenneth Schmidt from SC Freiburg for a modest fee of €400,000. Borussia Dortmund II attacking prospect Julian Hettwer arrived on a free, as did veteran German fullback Christopher Lenz.

Schmidt (10 Bundesliga appearances before his unfortunate bout with injury) and Lenz (98 top flight appearances over the course of his career) constitute higher-profile additions. Hettwer scored 14 goals for BVB II in the 3. Liga this year and maintains a current €1.3m estimated market value.

In a recent Kicker interview, Weber committed to at least six more signings this summer. The 41-year-old administrator shook off the recent loss of Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson and promised that he and the front office team had plenty of “smart ideas“. Weber insisted that Fortuna’s reputation, not to mention excellent facilities, rendered the club an attractive destination for many players.

“We like to invite the candidates to visit us because we can definitely score points with the [Euro 2024 worth] stadium and the city,” Weber said. “This is particularly important for foreign players and agents when they realize how important Fortuna is in Düsseldorf. We also have a big draw in that the players are coming to a very stable club. The sporting management and coaching team have been working together here for three-and-a-half years.”

GGFN | Peter Weis