Common denominator
At the same time, the club wants and needs to focus on its own youth and youth work in the sporting area. The appointment of Stephan Helm as the new coach and successor to Michael Wimmer is an indication of this, and the still very tense financial situation is another good reason.
Helm, the common denominator and personified solidarity between the two groups in the background, comes from the youth department and was most recently coach of the Young Violets. His assistant coaches Christian Wegleitner and Christoph Glatzer also know the inner workings of the violet team very well. They are all supposed to ensure that the Austria talents dribble their way into the first team.
Sports director Jürgen Werner, who wanted to bring Helm to Austria a year and a half ago, is convinced of the new coach. “We made the decision within the Austria management. He is an absolute expert on our talented young players.”
President Kurt Gollowitzer agrees and is also happy about the choice. “We have found an Austria solution that I am 100 percent convinced of.” For him, the focus on the club’s own academy will be important in the future. “We want to promote young players and integrate them into the professional sector in good time.”
Stadium sale
Werner and Sebastian Prödl recently had a conversation with Aleksandar Dragovic. The former team player was presented with an offer that can be described as very good given the current financial situation of the Violets. However, the defender is also said to be in talks with AS Roma.
In the background, work is continuing on the stadium sale, which should be completed by June 30th, in order to finalize the deal with lender Bank Austria. Perhaps a delay is needed.