When Cristian Fiél was asked about Haris Tabakovic before the upcoming home game against Jahn Regensburg (Saturday, 1 p.m.), there were no signs of sleepless nights for the Hertha coach. On the contrary: “Of course there are nicer things in football, but if it comes to that, I’m not too worried,” said the German-Spaniard calmly.
Now it has happened. Although it is not yet official, everything indicates that the 30-year-old Swiss-Bosnian, who is said to have already completed his medical, will move to TSG Hoffenheim and fulfill his Bundesliga dream. According to various media reports, the Kraichgau team will transfer between four and five million euros to the capital. That would be ten times what Hertha spent on Tabakovic last summer.
While the transfer of the top scorer of the last second division season probably immediately caused some Hertha fans to think ‘promotion is not going to happen again’, the Berlin officials seem to be relying on composure. This may also have something to do with the transfer fee. As heavy as the sporting loss is, the financial gain from Tabakovic’s departure is just as valuable.
Valuable deal for Hertha
The balancing act for the Berlin club is difficult throughout the entire transfer phase. On the one hand, they need a squad capable of promotion, but on the other hand, they also need transfer revenues in order to act financially responsibly. Promotion may be the only option, but so is economic consolidation. And so five million euros earned for a 30-year-old is something that managing director Benny Weber and co. cannot say no to.
Especially since the Bosnian is not the Tabakovic who was the top scorer in May so far, even though the season is still young. No competitive goals, few touches of the ball and hardly any involvement in the new Berlin game. A game that relies more on offensive variability and combination play, and less on counter-attacking football and crosses into the box. Haris Tabakovic suited Dardai’s football, but not Fiél’s football.
And so, from the perspective of the Berlin second division club, it may make more sense to get the urgently needed transfer surplus with Tabakovic instead of selling other precious metal. A departure of Fabian Reese or Ibrahim Maza would probably be an even greater loss. In particular, homegrown Maza, who dribbled his way to becoming the difference maker for Berlin in the first few games and is the creative element in Hertha’s offense in Reese’s absence, would be even harder to replace than Tabakovic.
Replacement gives reason for calm
Fiél is also calm about the question of who will replace the departing striker. With Florian Niederlechner, new signing Luca Schuler, the almost-discarded Smail Prevljak and Derry Scherhant, Hertha is at least well-staffed in quantitative terms, even after the Tabakovic transfer. And the DFB Cup match against Hansa Rostock is also encouraging in terms of quality. Florian Niederlechner rediscovered his goal-scoring instinct with two goals, and Luca Schuler showed how valuable his speed can be. It is therefore quite possible that Hertha will not even be active on the transfer market anymore.
The match against Jahn Regensburg will also provide information on this. Cristian Fiél did not want to reveal who will take on Tabakovic’s role against the newly promoted team. The 44-year-old only admitted with a smile that “we will definitely play with a striker”.
Fiél is also likely to be smiling at his team’s form. After the 5-1 victory in the cup, the 44-year-old sees his team on an upward trend that should bring the first home win of the season. “We have to carry on where we left off in Hamburg and Rostock.”
But Fiél, who can once again rely on Mickael Cuisance in midfield, is warned about the guests. “They knocked out a Bundesliga team in the cup. They have already won one game in the league,” he said. Jahn can be particularly dangerous from set pieces and when switching play. Hertha BSC must be careful. If they fail to secure their first win of the season again, the voices calling for a false start will probably get louder again. And Cristian Fiél may have to expect restless nights.