Bundesliga transfers: Wolfsberg concedes for Bamba

Mohamed Bamba scored eight goals in 17 competitive games for Wolfsberg in the autumn, and the 22-year-old attacker from Ivory Coast prepared four goals. Two weeks before the spring opener against Rapid, the Carinthians are now likely to lose their center forward. “Sky” first reported on Lorient’s interest in Bamba; according to “Kurier” information, he is said to have already completed his medical check with the French first division club.

Adrian Grbic is already under contract with the bottom team in Ligue 1. In the summer of 2020, the Viennese native was signed by Clermont for nine million euros. He made his debut in the national team under the then ÖFB team boss Franco Foda and scored four goals in nine appearances. However, Grbic was never able to assert himself in Lorient; in the meantime he was awarded to Arnhem and Valenciennes. He has been playing since returning last summer only an extra role: he was in the squad twice, only playing against Metz.

Now comes another competitor, Bamba, who only needed half a season to get going in Wolfsberg. He is the third striker that the Carinthians brought from Israel and are now selling at a high price – after Shon Weissmann (to Valladolid in 2020) and Tai Baribo (to Philadelphia last summer).

Heraf is rebuilding Lustenau

Ex-Ried coach Andreas Heraf is preparing Lustenau for its mission to stay in the league – and is relying on old friends. He knows all of the previous new signings from former clubs: Leo Mikic (new from Jeonnam) and Luca Meisl (Beerschot) from his time in Ried, Nico Gorzel (without a club) and Paterson Chato (Osnabrück) from his short stint at Türkgücü Munich. Boris Moltenis, on the other hand, has played out at Lustenau: The Martinique national player is moving to the French third division club Sochaux. The 24-year-old defender only signed with Lustenau in the summer and played a total of eleven times for Vorarlberg.

Previous winter transfers in the Bundesliga

• FC Salzburg
  To: Horn (D, without a club)
  Away: Piatkowski (Pol, Granada, loan), Mantl (D, Viborg, loan), Mendes (Bra, Bragantino, loan)
• SK Sturm Graz
  To: Jaros (Cze, Liverpool, loan), Biereth (Den, Arsenal, loan)
  Away: Demaku (Altach, loan)
• LASK
  To: Berisha (Kos, without a club, most recently Reims), Copado (D, Bayern Munich II)
  Away: Balic (Lodz), Anselm (V. Köln, loan)
• TSV Hartberg
  Away: Lang (Sturm, after loan, to Rapid), Lemmerer (Amstetten, loan), Karamarko (Cro)
• SK Austria Klagenfurt
  To: Loune (Mar, Nuremberg, loan)
  Away: May (D, V. Berlin, Leine)
• SK Rapid
  To: Lang (Sturm Graz, after loan in Hartberg)
  Away: Kühn (D, Celtic Glasgow), Bajic (Ried), Greil (Sandhausen)
• Wolfsberger AC
  To: Morgenstern (Lendorf)
  Away: Bukusu (D)
• FK Austria Vienna
  Away: Braunöder (Como, loan), Baltaxa (Isr, Maccabi Tel Aviv), Jukic (Sochi)
• FC Blau-Weiß Linz
  To: Joao Luiz (Bra, Bregenz)
  Away: Hofer (Salzburg, after loan, to Liefering)
• SCR Altach
  To: Demaku (Storm, loan), Diawara (Mli, Landskrona)
  Away: Bishop (Rapid, loan to Vienna)
• WSG Tyrol
  Away: Ertlthaler (Tychy)
• SC Austria Lustenau
  To: L. Meisl (Beerschot), Mikic (Cro, Jeonnam), Gorzel (unemployed, most recently Aue), Chato (D, Osnabrück)
  Away: J. Schmid (Fra, Niederkorn), Moltenis (Fra, Sochaux)