Football Season Guide

Arminia Bielefeld

In


Joakim Nilsson (def) Elfsborg; Fabian Kunze (mid) SV Rodinghausen; Cebio Soukou (mid) Hansa Rostock; Agoston Kiss (gk) Haladas U19; Prince Osei Owusu (att) 1860 Munich - end of loan;

Out


Leandro Putaro (sp) (mid) E. Braunschweig; Julian Borner (r) (def) Sheffield Wednesday; Christopher Nothe (sp) (mid) released; Soren Brandy (sp) (att) released; Baboucarr Gaye (sp) (gk) released; Nikolai Rehnen (sp) (gk) Alem. Aachen - on loan; Can Hayri Ozkan (sp) (def) Alem. Aachen - on loan; Roberto Massimo (sp) (mid) VFB Stuttgart - end of loan;

Arminia Bielefeld didn’t quite hit the heights of the previous season but will be more than happy with the progress they are making as a club. Manager Jeff Saibene was replaced by Uwe Neuhaus in December after a poor run of results, this galvanised the team, winning 10 and drawing 4 of their 18 games under Neuhaus, eventually finishing 7th. Bielefeld may be a little disappointed not to have made more signings in the close season to give the squad a little more depth. They have however replaced their captain Julian Borner with experienced Swedish central defender Joakim Nilsson and managed to keep hold of key strikers Voglsammer and Klos. Youngster Fabian Kunze has been brought in to add more steel to the midfield and pacey winger Cedric Soukou arrives from Hansa Rostock hoping to provide extra support for the front two. Hungarian youngster Agostan Kiss arrives on loan as 3rd choice goalkeeper. This season Arminia strengths lie in their organisation, often difficult to break down they will be hoping for more of the same. The lack of squad depth could prove problematic if injuries are sustained and losing influential captain Julian Borner to Sheffield Wednesday may affect leadership and direction on the field.

Target


Promotion push. With a strong finish to last season anything is possible if the momentum continues into this year. An honest hardworking team should at least be looking to finish in the top 6. Home form and results against lesser sides must improve though.