Et is tradition that “lily” fans have to memorize many new player names in the summer. With a dozen arrivals and as many departures, the Darmstadt residents rarely do it. An exception was the summer of 2020, when the squad of the second division club was far less mixed. In the previous transfer window, however, working papers were again signed in piece: eleven new signings plus two returning loan players were welcomed, twelve professionals (two of them whose loan contracts were expiring) were adopted.
A lot of work, a lot of attack surface for the sports director. Carsten Wehlmann started at SVD three years ago as a sports coordinator. Less than six months later he was promoted to sports director. Since then, the North German has not had an easy time with the fans with the calm, weighing his words. Alleged bad purchase decisions are often blamed on Wehlmann.
But the allegations seem misguided overall. The “Lilien” vintages 2019/20 and 2020/21 compiled by Wehlmann reached second division ranks five and seven. And the upheaval this summer also seems to have succeeded – after around a quarter of the season and before the duel in Sandhausen this Sunday (1.30 p.m.). The impressions and the track record of most of the newcomers are good. On the previous match day, the 1: 2 defeat in Heidenheim, seven new acquisitions were used.
“Considerations paid off”
“It is obvious that, also due to the well-known corona and injury issues, some people still have room for improvement. All in all, however, our considerations with regard to the commitments were absolutely successful, ”says Wehlmann. The new attackers Phillip Tietz and Luca Pfeiffer scored nine of the 15 SVD hits. Klaus Gjasula, who was signed up by HSV, turned out to be the manager of the midfield center.
Emir Karic as an asset and Benjamin Goller, who is still lacking in effectiveness, have also already staged themselves. Lasse Sobiech has indicated his worth in central defense, but still needs match practice after a long injury period. Due to the corona, Wehlmann was once again encouraged to have a price-conscious shopping experience. Not all of the almost two million euros in transfer proceeds for Victor Palsson, Seung-ho Paik and coach Markus Anfang have been reinvested in the team.
The development should do Wehlmann’s standing good. And personally? “First and foremost, it’s never about me and my person, but about promoting the development of the ‘lilies’. And I think that we have taken important steps together on this path over the past two and a half years. Regardless of whether individual case decisions have polarized or not worked out, this can be seen both in the transfer proceeds recently achieved and in the rejuvenation of the squad and, above all, in the final placements in the table. “
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