January 2025 Transfer Primer: FC St. Pauli | OneFootball

FC St. Pauli

Estimated Autumn Transfer Balance = -€300,000

Hamburg's "Kiezkicker" will surely fancy their chances of securing Bundesliga football next year after securing their fourth win of the campaign on 2024's final match-day. Most all Germans maintain some sympathy for this club. As abysmal as their home form has been this season, watching the atmosphere at the Millerntor every week makes winners out of all German football lovers. We all hope this important piece of German footballing culture finds itself broadcast to a wider audience next year. Fourteen points through 15 match-days inspires hope.

Alexander Blessin's team needed the Winter break perhaps more than any other top flight side. Injuries to key actors such as Elias Saad, Karol Mets, and Connor Metcalfe can now clear up. The newly installed Blessin couldn't buy a piece of luck with respect to injuries all year. Somehow, every week he had work out a way to construct a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 without enough natural wingers, a serviceable eight, or any sort of pace out of the back. Tactics fiends routinely pulled their hair out in frustration whenever attempting to handicap this side's prospects ahead of the weekend.

On paper, the Summer transfer class actually looked quite good; or at least half of it did. Morgan Guilavogui qualifies as a successful signing. Wagner very well might have had he not gotten hurt. One should concede that Scottish attacker Scott Banks - given his injury history - was always going to be a risk. Welshman Fin Stevens hasn't logged a minute of league action yet due to the strong form of Manolis Saliakas and Philipp Treu. Even Adam Dwingala has gotten minutes ahead of him.

Dead-Weight Ledger = Sören Ahlers (GK), Sascha Burchert (GK), Muhammed Dahaba (CB), Luca Günther (CB), Fin Stevens (RB), Erik Ahlstrand (DM), Scott Banks (RW), Maurides (CF), Simon Zoller (CF)

Managing director Andreas Bornemann - if looking ahead to the future can be considered an option at this point - might do well to park prospects Muhammed Dahaba and Luca Günther. The squad isn't exactly thin in central defense. How on earth he fixes the unholy triple-keeper injury fiasco that led to Eric Oelschlägel being signed remains totally his business. Whispers suggest 30-year-old Brazilian striker Maurides can be successfully moved. An upgrade to Erik Ahlstrand can surely be located.

Expiring contracts =  Erik Oelschlägel (GK), Carlo Boukhalfa (CM)

Carlo Boukhalfa - along with the "Surprise Elias Saad" Package - unexpectedly proved himself capable of contributing at this level. Making an effort to re-sign the Algerian surely can't hurt. The northern Pirates, like previously covered clubs Freiburg, Werder Bremen, and Union Berlin, don't voluntarily divulge contract information. Accordingly, many other players might be in line for a summer departure. One guesses that veteran strikers Andreas Albers and Simon Zoller probably don't possess long term deals.

Further Needs =  DM, RW, LW, ATTM, LS

Help is already on the way in the form of SC Freiburg flanker Noah Weißhaupt. Regrettably, it looks as if FC Union Berlin won't allow Aljoscha Kemlein to return to the club he excelled at last season. Kemlein almost counts as a perfect fit for Blessin's current needs. Plenty of intel suggests Bornemann will pluck at least one new striker from somewhere. The club and its associated brand rake in plenty of cash for €3-4 million in January outlays. Loan fees in the six-digit-range mean that may translate to six to eight new signings.

Rumored Links = Aljoscha Kemlein (DM), Ivan Prtajin (CF), Leonardo Rocha (CF), Abdoulie Ceesay (CF)