Football Season Guide

Austria were the biggest disappointment of the 2017/18 Bundesliga season, as the Viennese entered the campaign hoping to clinch an European place, but spent the majority of the season in the bottom half of the table. Thorsten Fink, who was the longest serving Bundesliga manager at the time of his dismissal, lasted until midway through the spring season, and the results improved only marginally under Thomas Letsch, but the club hierarchy decided that their interim has done enough to get the job on a permanent basis. Unsurprisingly, the Violets conducted a major summer squad clear-out. Several players who had unsuccessful loans with the club have returned to their parent clubs, but Austria have also lost a couple of players that they would have preferred to keep, such as Raphael Holzhauser and Felipe Pires, while keeper Robert Almer was forced to retire due to injury after failing to make a single appearance last season. The list of arrivals certainly looks impressive and includes several players who starred for other Bundesliga clubs last season. A notable name in the list of arrivals is Uros Matic, who joins on loan from Kopenhagen. The Serbian midfielder was arguably the best player in the league in the first half of the 2016/17 season, when he left Sturm to join the Danish giants. All in all, the Violets will enter the new season with a new manager and a new-look side. Everything seems to be set for them to challenge for a top three finish, but only time will tell if their new players will gel.