This is what Horst Heldt says about the winter transfer period of the 1st FC Union

The Berliners implemented three transfers. With Marin Ljubicic, a striker came from Linzer Ask, Jordan Siebatcheu (Stade Reims) and Yorbe (RB Salzburg) left the club. With this, Union at least fulfilled the goal of reducing the squad a little and generated a surplus of a few million euros.

According to Heldt, money for other transfers would have been available, but despite some speculation and numerous phone calls with clubs and consultants, nothing happened. You only make transfers if they really make the club better. “There are only conditional options in the winter transfer market and Florian Wirtz was not available,” said Heldt and laughed.

With Bayer Leverkusen’s exception, Ljubicic can probably not compete, but the Berliners expect much of the 22 -year -old Croatian. “He has a high level of intensity in everything he does, a certain aggressiveness in the switching game, good pressing behavior,” said Heldt.

He had had Ljubicic in mind for a long time, said the sports director. “It’s not about an A, B or C solution. We looked around for strikers who have been shown to have already reached a quota, and Marin knows where the goal is. ”

This only affected the two departures to a limited extent this season. While Heldt let through that the club wanted to leave the club, the departure of the American center forward was rather surprising. There were some offers for Jordan, but they would not have been interested. It was only when his youth club Stade Reims knocked that it went quickly shortly before the end of the transfer phase. “We noticed that he wanted to do that.”

Although Jordan accompanies an almost epic gate, you don’t hear a bad word about the striker at Union. As a person and player, he gave the team a lot. “I can’t blame him, except that he was bad luck and maybe sometimes the greed, this selfishness that a striker must have was missing,” said Heldt.

The Berliners are now hoping for these qualities from Ljubicic, but also from Andrej Ilic and Ivan Prtajin, who hardly played a role in the first half of the season. “You have different qualities and can catch it,” said Heldt, who looked forward against Leipzig even without scoring a goal.

Against Hoffenheim on Saturday (3:30 p.m., Sky), this development should then also be reflected in goals. “It is important that we reach our goal and keep the class,” said Heldt.