Stuttgart prepare to invest ‘full trust’ in rookie No. 1 Dennis Seimen ahead of Champions League campaign | OneFootball

New Stuttgart No. 1 Dennis Seimen has declared himself ready for the bright lights of the Champions League with his current Bundesliga club. The now 20-year-old has literally been waiting in the Swabian wings for five years now. His current club fast-tracked him to the role he inherits now by signing him to his first major contract extension at the age of 15. Now, Seimen’s long wait is finally over.

Stuttgart – in accordance with rumors surfacing some ten months ago – have welcomed back Seimen from a highly successful loan stint with promoted Bundesliga outfit Paderborn and are prepared to let him lead the team in the UCL. In an interview with Kicker, Seimen exuded confidence as he prepares to fill Nübel’s sizable boots. 

Can Dennis Seimen replace Alexander Nübel?

It’s worth noting that Seimen is still waiting on his first Bundesliga appearance. This didn’t dissuade Stuttgart from continuing to fast-track his development. As Seimein helped Stuttgart II earn promotion from the Regionalliga during the 2023/24 campaign and continue to perform strongly in the 3. Liga during the 2024/25 season, two more contract extensions in which Seimen was declared the “keeper of the future” accompanied his rise. 

Last season with Paderborn, Seimen logged maximum league minutes for the East Westphalians. His performances in the relegation-promotion playoff against Wolfsburg went a long way towards help ensuring Paderborn’s return to the German top flight. Despite the fact that head coach Sebastian Hoeneß openly stated that he valued Nübel’s experience, the club knew that a third loan deal for Nübel simply wasn’t in the cards. 

Though Stuttgart’s first friendly match of the season wasn’t exactly more than a light tune-up against fifth-tier TSG Balingen, but Seimen did impress by keeping a clean sheet, delivering two-footed passes to his teammates, and generally displaying good technique. 

Stuttgart’s confidence in Seimen is also reflected back by the young keeper’s rejection of the No. 1 tricot. Seimen will continue to wear No. 41 whilst guarding the VfB net. The Heilbronn-native remains partial to the number assigned to him by Stuttgart’s equipment manager when he was just 17-years-of-age.

Hoeneß too has changed his tune. 

Stuttgart brass express faith in Seimen

“[Promoting him] was a bold move, both on his part and ours, but we’re doing this out of absolute conviction,” Hoeneß told Kicker. “We know that a Champions League season is demanding for such a young guy, but we’d already thought that through beforehand. I see the opportunity rather than the risk, and I believe he has what it takes to very quickly become an absolute top-tier goalkeeper in the Bundesliga.”

“He enjoys our full trust,” Stuttgart Board Member for Sport Fabian Wohlgemuth added. “The decision to put him in goal is based solely on performance. He’s special and we’re reaping the rewards sown by our youth department.“

Seimen ready to accept challenge

“It’s time to take the next step and I’m ready for anything,” Seimen himself said of his new role. “There will probably be phases when it feels like Mount Everest, and there will probably be phases when it feels like a hike across the Alps. Firstly, I want to perform as well as possible during preseason.”

GGFN | Peter Weis