Gladbach boss openly places trio on the market
Max Eberl of Borussia Mönchengladbach, unable to garner much interest in some roster expendables through back channels, tried the public approach on Thursday. According to Eberl, there are three more players he wishes to shop.
Borussia Mönchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl revealed that his club is actively shopping three additional players — right fullback Michael Lang, left winger Kenan Bennetts and center forward Julio Villalba — for either transfers or loans in the final weeks of the transfer window. Eberl spoke of the attempts to trim his roster at a presser on Thursday.
Though he was speaking to the media, Eberl’s public statements were aimed directly at the players themselves. “You will find it difficult to get playing time this season,” Eberl is quoted by German footballing magazine Kicker as saying.
The 46-year-old, acutely aware that the trio had not generated much interest from other clubs thus far, chose his next words carefully. “Should you remain with us, you will [still] remain full members of the squad.:”
The 29-year-old Michael Lang recently returned to the foals following a season-long loan at SV Werder Bremen. Results were less than stellar. He made only nine appearances and six starts for the nearly-relegated Werderaner. At the end of a during which Bremen narrowly escaped relegation via a playoff against FC Heidenheim, trainer Florian Kohfeldt expressed no interest in keeping him.
Loan prospects for the two younger players appear a little brighter. The 21-year-old Bennetts, of mixed German, English, and Nigerian heritage, may garner some interest for EPL or EFL clubs. He actually began his career at the Tottenham Hotspur youth academy. Transfermarkt.de still estimates his value at €1,3 million.
The 21-year-old Villalba completed has already successful loan stints in his home country of Paraguay and the Austrian Bundesliga since joining the foals in 2017. It stands to reason that a nearby club will remain interested in taking on a developmental prospect.