Wimmer replacement soon to arrive

Soccer is always about the money!

Wimmer (right) will miss the start of training in Klagenfurt on Monday and is already looking for a home in Wolfsberg.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

As expected: The fans are fuming because Austria Klagenfurt's Nico Wimmer has signed a four-year contract with the WAC. The central defender has rejected offers from Germany. But Klagenfurt already have a replacement ready. 

Soccer romantics can go roaring. It's been a long time since players remained loyal to a club for life. In today's football it's become a case of coming and going. . .

Claudio Trevisan, head of sport at the "Kärntner Krone", sheds light on the local soccer scene.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

Anything else would not have been wise. . .
Because, of course, it's always about money. A footballer's life is short. Nico Wimmer knows that too. With his transfer from Austria Klagenfurt to the WAC - Krone readers have long since been informed - he is stirring up a lot of dust. At the age of 29, turning down a financially better-paid contract for four (!) years - with a CV that includes two cruciate ligament ruptures - would have been anything but wise from Wimmer's point of view.

Defensive midfielder Nwaiwu
The WAC - who also tied down Serbian right-back Boris Matic (19) from Red Star Belgrade until 2027 and also fixed everything with Nigerian former test pilot Chibuike Nwaiwu/20- beat out two-year contracts from Germany and also financially much more lucrative (but a little too exotic) offers from abroad.

"Just a cleaner"
Klagenfurt's fans certainly resent the former crowd favorite's move to the arch-enemy - once he was "the best central defender in the league" for them, today he is just "a cleaner who pushes the balls forward." That's how quickly things change. .

Hardly any sporting improvements
As we all know, Austria Klagenfurt are short of money. 15 contracts expired at the end of the season, and only three players(Jaritz, Straudi, Wernitznig) managed to extend their contracts. But apart from Irving (who has been with West Ham since the summer of 2023), only one of these players has improved in sporting terms so far: Karweina is moving to FC Luzern (Sz) for two years, who only won the lower play-off in the 1st division this year. The majority of the ex-Violets chose the German 3rd division (Menzel, Schumacher, Benatelli) instead of our Bundesliga - because they are paid more there. . .

Austria has almost reached an agreement with Szerencsi (right).

(Bild: GEPA pictures/ Mario Buehner)

Wimmer replacement ready
Apart from loans, Austria can only bring in players on a free transfer. And according to information from "Krone", the replacement for Wimmer is already in place: Niklas Szerencsi from second division side Kapfenberg is about to be signed permanently. The 24-year-old from Vienna is a giant at 1.95 m - and with seven goals, he is the most prolific professional central defender in Austria.