Bosz makes clear he expects more personnel help on both sides of the ball
Peter Bosz faces many challenges this season. The former Dortmund trainer underscored the fact that he assumes his bosses will procure more than just attacking supplements for him before the transfer window is finished.
Following both the record-breaking sale of striker Kai Havertz to Chelsea for an estimated €100 million (including bonuses) and the sale of Kevin Volland for the tidy sum of €15,5 million, Transfermarkt.de reports that Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen maintains a positive transfer balance of some €67 million. This vast sum even takes into account the not-entirely-economical purchase of Patrick Schick from AS Roma at a price tag of €25 million.
Managing Director Rudi Völler has remained adamant that the club has no intention of spending the full amount of the Havertz transfer immediately. Head coach Peter Bosz affirmed such sentiments in an interview on Friday. "We need quality, not quantity," the Dutch trainer noted, "and if we have to wait a little longer to obtain quality, we'll simply wait. We can neither replace Kai nor his position on a like-for-like swap."
Regarding whether Germany's red company team prepares to make another big splash in transfer market, however, Bosz appeared candidly unequivocal. "We've lost 60 scorer points," Bosz remarked on the departures of Havertz and Volland, "It would be great if Patrik scores thirty goals and supplies 30 assists, but I don't think he can manage it on his own. We're working on it. There will be more to come."
Bosz left little doubt that he expected reinforcements from Völler and Sporting Director Simon Rolfes. "Other players have to come," Bosz emphasized, "I'm in contact with Rudi and Simon about that." Bosz' tasks for the upcoming season include a demanding stint in the Europa League and a tacit expectation that he can, unlike last year, directly qualify for the Champions League with a top four finish.
Bosz made clear in his statements that he didn't merely expect replacements in attack. "We have six central defenders," Bosz noted when cataloging his defensive corps. In addition to calling for more diversity in those ranks, Bosz expressed a specific desire for a left-footed player capable of starting in the back. "All six of those defenders are right footed."
Sources continue to suggest that there is some veracity too the rumors that Bayer are close to obtaining right attacking flanker Florian Thauvin from Olympique Marseille. With respect to defense, rumors earlier in the summer concerning negotiations to bring left fullback Seat Kolasinac back to the Bundesliga have fizzled out for multiple German clubs, including Leverkusen.