“Everyone has to identify 100 percent with SV Ried”

The SV Ried footballers started the penultimate week of preparation yesterday in the midsummer heat. The second division team will play their first competitive game on Saturday, July 22 (8:30 p.m.) in the ÖFB Cup at Hertha Wels. The last two preparatory games will take place this Friday. The first test will be at 2 p.m. in the Klaus Roitinger Stadium against the German regional league club Wacker Burghausen. At 6 p.m. takes place in the “Innviertel Arena” the “kick-off event” against the third division club Unterhaching. Sports director Wolfgang Fiala has been working intensively on squad planning for weeks, but it is not yet complete.

Yesterday, Nils Seufert, a 26-year-old central midfielder, was presented who was most recently under contract with the German second division club Greuther Fürth. “We need more ball security in midfield. Seufert played more than 80 games in the first and second German Bundesliga. We’re glad we were able to sign a player of his caliber”says Fiala.

Intensive striker search

That’s it “shopping program” but the Rieder is not yet complete. “We’ll definitely get a left central defender and a center forward”, says Fiala. The goal scorer you are looking for is very likely to be a foreign player. “You can tell that the international market is slowly starting to move”says Fiala, who does not allow himself to be irritated by the approaching start of the season with this important transfer. “We don’t want to and won’t rush things, this transfer is far too important for that.” The attacker Kevin-Prince Milla, who was last tested against Budweis, is not an issue. The second test player, Hector Galiano (left defender, Hertha Wels), remains in view.

Asked about Stefan Nutz, currently injured and without a contract, who was linked yesterday with a move to the big promotion favorite St. Pölten, Fiala says: “I spoke to his advisor over the weekend. He said that Nutz still has to clarify a few things. We tried very hard because we would like to keep the player. We have a very fair and appreciative offer, but of course the player has to decide for himself what is best for him.”

Question mark around Jurisic

The situation is different with left-back Roko Jurisic. The Croatian still has a contract with a fixed exit clause in Ried, but was released from training at his own request to look for a club. But it shouldn’t be as easy as the 21-year-old imagined. “Jurisic still doesn’t have a new club, so we’re going to turn that off now. He has to train with us again, after all he has a valid contract”says the head of sports.

The future of Michael Martin, who recently started individual training again after his bone infection, is open. He has an exit clause, but no other club has paid the fixed transfer fee so far.

Aleksandar Lutovac also has a similar clause in his contract. “In order to ensure planning security, we would like a decision to be made as quickly as possible”says Fiala.

Denizcan Cosgun, on the other hand, is no longer an issue. “He no longer had a valid contract. We think he’s a good player and we made him an offer. Even after asking three times, he still didn’t make a decision. Now our door is closed. I’ll say it very clearly: we only want players who give their all for this club. Every player has to identify 100 percent with SV Ried, the employees and of course our fans. If a player doesn’t want to follow this path with full conviction, he is out of place here”says Fiala.