Report: Augsburg interested in re-acquiring defender Vogt
After what one might politely term a disappointing start in the new campaign, FC Augsburg managing director Stefan Reuter is reportedly scrambling to find defensive reinforcements on the transfer market.
The search reportedly begins with a familiar face who once served under current trainer Marcus Weinzierl.
After initially backing away from an intensive search for a new defender, eight conceded goals in the first three fixtures of the season evidently have Stefan Reuter and the FCA engaged in a rethink. The club's main personnel boss openly criticized his defensive unit after this weekends 1-4 loss to Leverkusen.
The search reportedly begins with a familiar face who once served under current trainer Marcus Weinzierl.
"We did a poor job defensively," Reuter was quoted as saying afterward, "The back-line was far from ideal. We weren't consistent in duels and didn't even get a yellow card, which is crazy in a game like this."
"We'll remain alert and try to conclude something on the transfer market," Reuter told the local Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, "Sometimes an option pops up at the last moment. Crazy things happen in the final days of the window. We can't make a huge splash, but have some leeway."
According to the local newspaper, the club's main target is veteran Bundesliga journeyman Kevin Vogt, currently of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The 29-year-old worked with current head-coach Marcus Weinzierl during one of the club's more successful spells between 2012 and 2014. Since then, he's had stints at Köln and Bremen in addition to die Kraichgauer.
German footballing magazine Kicker confirms the rumor, while also noting that it might be difficult to obtain the defender with him currently occupying an important role in Sebastian Hoeneß' XI. Vogt has yet to miss a single minute of playing time this season.
Hoffenheim nevertheless have plenty of depth at the position be persuaded to offload a player on an expiring contract for a good price. The "financial leeway" referred to by Reuter likely includes most, if not all, of the €7 million secured in the Kevin Danso sale.
Vogt's current market value is listed at €4 million.