Matheo Raab aims to claim Union Berlin’s no. 1 keeper role | OneFootball

New 1. FC Union Berlin signing Matheo Raab aims to make his first career Bundesliga appearance this season. The 26-year-old nevertheless doesn’t wish to stop there. At a recent media round table, Raab declared that he hoped to displace 32-year-old Frederik Rønnow as the club’s new no. 1 keeper.

Raab’s ambitions remain very high for a player who never even managed to be a sustainable no. 1 at the 2. Bundesliga level. Raab hasn’t had a season-long starting role since he helped 1. FC Kaiserslautern achieve promotion from the 3. Liga during the 2021/22 campaign.

If there is one thing Raab can count on, however, it’s the belief of current FCU head coach Steffen Baumgart. After failing to displace Hamburg starter Daniel Heuer Fernandes during his first 18 months with the 2. Bundesliga outfit, it was Baumgart who opted to stick with Raab towards the end of the 2023/24 season.

Raab started in former HSV head coach Tim Walter’s final match. Then interim (and now current) HSV head coach Merlin Polzin opted to stick with him during his lone fixture in charge. Baumgart then ensured that Raab held onto the starting place for the final 12 fixtures.

Unfortunately, a bout with pneumonia and a broken hand meant that Raab would only earn three starts at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign. Heuer Fernandes – sometimes preferred to Raab even when he was fit last season – ended up leading Hamburg to the top flight.

Raab receives by far the biggest chance of his career in Köpenick this season. It was Baumgart’s idea to send Raab’s former Kaiserslautern teammate Lennart Grill to Dynamo Dresden in order to free up the back-up slot for his former player.

Following Alexander Schwolow’s departure, Grill would have been the undisputed no. 2. Grill – the same age as Raab – at least had some Bundesliga experience, amassing 10 appearances for Union and Bayer Leverkusen.

Rønnow certainly isn’t an easy starter to displace. The Dane has held a tight grip on Union’s starting role since Andreas Luthe’s departure after the 2021/22 season. The former Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt professional now has 119 German top flight appearances to his credit.

If there’s some hope for Raab, it concerns the fact that injuries led to Schwolow earning six starts last year. Grill got five league and two cup auditions working behind Rønnow during the 2022/23 season. Raab expressed respect for his new sporting colleague, while also retaining his competitive edge.

”I’ll do everything I can to become number one here,” Raab – quoted by Kicker – noted. “That’s why we became competitive athletes. Everyone has the ambition to play, and so do I. But I know what my role is here at the beginning. I’m joining an experienced Bundesliga team. I want to get involved, but I also want to fight my way through. Otherwise, I’d be in the wrong place in football if I sat back now and settled for being number two.”

“He’s an outstanding goalkeeper,” Raab said of Rønnow. “As far as I can tell after just a few weeks, he’s also a good person. Just like the other two guys [Yannic Stein and Carl Klaus] in the goalkeeping team. It’s important that we treat each other fairly and push one another. I’ve settled in well. The team has welcomed me. Thus far, I have only positive things to report.”

“Last season didn’t go well for me,” Raab noted of his final year in Hamburg. “I lost my place as the number one. There were various things that happened during the year that weren’t necessarily positive for me. I sought a conversation with the club to discuss my personal situation. I told them that I wanted to look elsewhere because I wasn’t happy. Here at Union, the long-term prospects convinced me.“

GGFN | Peter Weis