Football Season Guide

A change of manager in February halted the slide towards relegation and in the end they would have been relieved with a 13th place finish, even after such a promising start. Greuther have sought to rectify their defensive frailties in the summer transfer market after conceding the second most in the league last year. Experienced centre-back Mergim Mavraj joins from Ingolstadt, with youngsters Lungwitz and Meyerhofer hoping to provide some much needed energy on the left and right side respectively. Manager Stefan Leitl has also negotiated the permanent signatures of defensive midfielders Seguin and Nunoo Sarpei both of whom featured on loan last season. Unfortunately they were unable to secure a deal for David Atanga who was the stand out performer on loan from Salzburg. They will be disappointed not to have strengthened in attack, especially with Keita-Ruel being the top scorer last season with just 10. Fabian Reece has also returned to his parent club after impressing on loan. Free transfer Robin Kehr and the loanee signing Marvin Stefaniak should provide creativity on the flanks. Leitl will be hoping to continue where he left off since his arrival in the second part of last season, with a more disciplined approach which may see them harder to beat. The lack of fire power up front could again be an issue and its difficult to see where the goals will come from.