Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has failed to add any clarity to his side’s pursuit of German defender Phil Neumann.
Blues have been long-time admirers of the Hannover 96 player, and the Birmingham Mail has provided an update.
Summer Interest Remains
Birmingham reportedly had a number of bids for Neumann rejected by the Bundesliga II outfit in the summer and the question now is whether they’ll go back for the defender in January or wait until his contract has expired in six months.
Hannover’s Winter Reluctnace
Hannover have just sacked manager Stefan Leitl and installed former Huddersfield Town boss Andre Breitenreiter in the hope of resurrecting their promotion challenge.
Despite the player being able to leave for free in the summer, the report suggests his club would prefer to hold on to him and lose him in the summer in a bid to gain promotion.
Hannover’s sporting director Marcus Mann told BILD:
“All I can say about the winter is that no one has contacted me yet.”
Neumann Keen For New Challenge
The player has spoken of his keenness to play in England as he looks to get the most out of his career.
“Playing in England was always my goal.”
“When you have a family, you naturally look further into the future and of course, contract negotiations also involve financial aspects, but it’s about much more than that – in the end, it’s a total package.”
He reiterated his desire to achieve as much as possible in football and that money is not the motivating factor:
“Accordingly, I wouldn’t go to Saudi Arabia because that’s where the most money is. I do have the ambition to get the best possible results in football as well.”
Davies Plays It Coy
Blues boss Chris Davies offered little in the way of clear updates regarding the club’s interest in Neumann. He did, however, confirm his admiration for the player.
“There’s not really an update on that.”
“Obviously I know the player, he’s a good player, but there’s nothing I can give that can provide any real clarity on that.”
“We are looking at multiple options to see what’s out there, as most teams do at this time of year, but there’s nothing we can go into any detail on at the moment.”
Writer’s View
Having three centre-backs in your squad who are the envy of the league but considering paying a fee for a player they can get on a free in six months helps to demonstrate Birmingham’s financial clout.
The fact the player would also seemingly prefer a move to England’s lower divisions over a chance in the Bundesliga highlights the financial power of football in this country.
