Union Berlin boss speaks on failed transfers of Diogo Leite and Jeremiah St. Juste | OneFootball

FC Union Berlin managing director Horst Heldt has had a chance to comment his club’s relatively quiet finish to the summer 2025 transfer window yesterday. In a media roundtable at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, the 55-year-old executive answered questions from various journalists and held an exclusive interview with Kicker. The seasoned Bundesliga footballing functionary was very forthcoming.

Union have by no means been inactive during the summer transfer market, but at least two more deals were expected on deadline day. Want-away defender Diogo Leite somehow ended up remaining put despite interest from all over Europe. Former Mainz centre-back Jeremiah St. Juste also didn’t arrive as expected. The sale for former Hertha flop Lucas Tousart was the only transaction ultimately completed on Monday.

“He wanted to transfer,” Heldt said of Leite. “We all agreed that it made sense for him to train very little or not at all so as to minimize the chance of injury. He can still transfer as the transfer window is open elsewhere. Since he hasn’t training continuously for a long time, however, he can only be brought back slowly if he doesn’t transfer.”

“We wanted the keep the squad small and young,” Heldt noted of the St. Juste deal. “Since Leite wasn’t moving, we didn’t want to carry a larger squad than we already had. That’s why it didn’t happen. No one turned us down. There’s always different offers and competitors. Everyone has to agree to a transfer. We have our own economic situation and made the best of it.”

GGFN | Peter Weis