When the league’s two factory clubs, Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, meet, finances are always at stake. VfL, champions in 2009, can currently no longer keep up with Bayer, the possible future title holder.
Reunion at the weekend: Wolfsburg’s Tiago Tomas and Leverkusen’s Alejandro Grimaldo, who was also a VfL candidate in the summer. IMAGO/Noah Wedel
What hasn’t already been said and written about this encounter. On Sunday (7.30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker) the 25th matchday will conclude with the duel between the league’s two factory clubs, which has been smugly made into “El Plastico”. Leverkusen welcomes Wolfsburg, the two 50+1 exceptions between them. However, this is not a meeting of equals: here Bayer, the table leader, there VW club Wolfsburg, which is in 13th position in the table.
VfL is worse than ever before in the Bundesliga
VfL is eight points ahead of the relegation place. There is still no danger of relegation, although coach Niko Kovac’s team, with 25 points after 24 games, is worse than any other VfL team in the club’s Bundesliga history. And that’s saying something after being relegated twice (2017 and 2018).
It goes without saying that the table cellar is not Wolfsburg’s claim. But it can be international business, as the finances are still good. However, the times when the car company was ahead of the pharmaceutical company from the Rhine are long gone.
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Financially, a lot has happened at VfL in VW’s past years of crisis, the economic irrationality that brought sporting success and increased income at times with the championship title in 2009 and the cup win in 2015 is no longer the order of the day. The club has been in the black for the past two financial years, following the wishes of the owner, who in previous years often had to compensate for losses amounting to millions.
Personnel costs at VfL were drastically reduced
VfL has drastically reduced personnel costs under the leadership of managing director Marcel Schäfer – and previously under his predecessor Jörg Schmadtke. This is noticeable for the club in the transfer market when it competes against financially strong clubs. Clubs like Leverkusen. Bayer has had an almost perfect transfer summer and is heading towards the first championship title in the club’s history. An impending season of success that would be closely linked to names like Alejandro Grimaldo, Granit Xhaka or Victor Boniface.
Three players who represent top-class sports and who, according to kicker information, were also on the list at VfL Wolfsburg in the summer. At least when it came to left-back Grimaldo, who moved from Benfica Lisbon to Leverkusen for free (and for a hefty fee), and striker Boniface, who came from Belgium from Union Saint Gilloise for 16 million euros, VfL also came knocking. He was also looking for these positions himself.
Grimaldo and Boniface were on the doorstep, and Xhaka was also offered to VfL
But just one conversation was enough to know that you had no chance. In terms of salary, this is now a different league. This also applies to midfielder Xhaka, who was offered to Lower Saxony. An impossible transfer for Wolfsburg, Leverkusen won the race – and can take the next step towards the championship with a home win on Sunday. The relegation battle would then slowly begin for VfL.
2024-03-07 18:19:00
#Wolfsburg #knocking #Grimaldo #Boniface
