Mainz head coach denies interest in Sturm Graz attacker William Bøving | OneFootball

Reports surfacing in L’Équipe concerning an imminent transfer of Sturm Graz attacker William Bøving to Mainz 05 have been refuted. Mainz head coach Bo Henriksen expressly denied the rumors. Henriksen spoke to a local paper after the Bundesliga club’s second summer friendly.

“Bøving is not an option for us at the moment,” Henriksen told the Mainzer Allgemeine Zeitung. “Every position is double-covered. Of course, if someone leaves, we’ll have to bring someone else in.”

The Bøving rumors aren’t the first time this summer that a Danish player has been falsely linked with Mainz’s Danish head coach. Henriksen also found himself placed in the position of explicitly denying talk that Borussia Mönchengladbach loan returnee was on his wishlist.

Mainz have already brought in four new additions this summer, most recently securing a loan deal for Japanese midfield talent Sota Kawasaki. Despite Henriksen’s denials, augmenting the attack with another new arrival would make sense for the German Conference League representatives.

It nevertheless appears as if Henriksen and the Mainz administrative team remain satisfied with their options on the top attacking. The Rheinhessen  have lost lead striker Jonathan Burkardt and only obtained Union Berlin attacker Benedict Hollerbach, a very different player, to replace him.

Henriksen can nevertheless still find a way of using the likes of Nelson Weiper, Armindo Sieb, and recently returned loanee Ben Bobzien alongside Hollerbach up top. For now, Kicker notes, the Mainz front office wishes to prefer getting some of the dead weight of its 31-man-squad.

GGFN | Peter Weis