Football Season Guide

It was almost the perfect transfer window for them. They hadn't lost anyone that they thought they would (e.g. Nwaiwu) but had added good options. Jasic was the only confirmed departure at the time and with both Wohlmuth and experienced Renner joining to replace him, it wasn't considered to be a problem. However, when he missed a recent friendly ahead of links to a move to the MLS, hearts were in mouths for the future of playmaker Zukic, a key player in their unexpected title challenge last season. It now looks somewhat inevitable that he will leave; it's more about "when" rather than "if". It'll be a huge blow for them if so. At the time of writing this preview though, he's not gone anywhere. Other than that though, it's been perfect for Wolfsberger AC. Not only are they well-prepared to lose any of their stars (barring Zukic) but they've also added some real quality in match-winning attacker Avdijaj, as well as highly-rated CM Sulzner, who can actually play at CB too if required - and Kuhbauer loves a player that can handle more than one position. Even Adama Dramé has joined - yet more depth for whenever Nwaiwu leaves. This is a very settled group of players, and they suit their manager's style too. Questions were asked of veteran boss Kuhbauer when he took over last season but he proved all the doubters wrong, getting this team to levels they hadn't been at for quite some years prior. There's no reason to expect anything different this time around either, particularly with the usual heavyweights of Austrian football generally ailing. Some things need to be ironed out ahead of the new season (e.g. who will start at RB/RWB - Matic, Wohlmuth, or Renner?), whether Nwaiwu will play in defence or midfield, and what they'll do if/when Zukic leaves. In general though, they're in good shape, and should start their campaign well enough. Barring some last-minute departures, there's no reason they can't mount another title challenge this season, although winning it looks beyond them.