"Hertha are improving on all fronts"

Michael Preetz speaks to the press about this season’s aims, his impressions of preseason and the possible return of fans to matches.

While the players are working hard out on the training pitch to be ready for the new season, there is also work going on behind the scenes to help lay the foundations for a successful 2020/21. The press are therefore always keen to speak to Michael Preetz, now in his twelfth season as managing director, who is responsible for setting these plans in motion. Preetz was available to answer the media’s questions on Thursday afternoon (27.08.20), where one of the topics up for discussion was of course the club’s possible transfers. “It makes sense to be patient this summer, as the current economic situation means that there are results to be had on the transfer market that were not previously possible,” said the man from Düsseldorf, giving an insight into the decision-making process. Our managing director also spoke to the journalists about...

…the team’s improvement and preseason so far: We were one of the first teams to return to training because we knew that we had a lot of work ahead of us. The first step of preseason is simply about getting the team into good physical shape. I get the impression that the lads have been focused and working hard - training with such intensity is probably a new experience for one or two of them! (chuckles) But they have all worked unbelievably hard.

…the next steps in preseason: We still have room to improve in attack. But at the current stage of preseason, after two friendly matches, we shouldn't read into it too much. The coronavirus means that preseason is very different this year, and it also cost us an important friendly against St.-Étienne which was cancelled at short notice. We’re now at a stage where we have to use the matches against Ajax against PSV to get better and to work on developing our play.

…aims for the coming season: At times last season we showed what we are really capable of – we expect the best from ourselves. Football is a never-ending process of trying to improve and that process certainly won’t come to an end this season. Every single player can develop themselves even further and bring more to the team. We want to improve and play better football so that we can have more matches like our last home game against Leverkusen.

…his impression of Hertha’s new signings: We are seeing what every player can do. Lucas Tousart has played almost no football at all since February, so it’s completely normal that he was a little rusty at first. The intense training sessions and matches have helped him a lot and you can already see how much he can bring to the team. He is experienced, adds a solid presence in midfield and he also has the ability to switch play nicely. Deyo Zeefuik’s transfer dragged on a little so he could only join up with us recently. For the lads who speak a foreign language, every passing day helps them to integrate themselves into the team. Of course, it is a little easier for Deyo as he already has a few familiar faces in the squad in Javairo Dilrosun and Daishawn Redan. For both players it is obviously useful to have teammates who can speak their first language. Now they both need as much training time as possible to help them understand how we want to play football. Settling in has been an absolute breeze for Alexander Schwolow - he already knows the league and most of the players. He has integrated into the squad really quickly.

…the potential for more signings and plans for the current transfer window: In this crazy window we have the opportunity to complete signings right up until October 5th. We are watching the market develop and making sure that we are as prepared as we can possibly be; with the window open for such a long time there may be a few late decisions. It makes sense to be patient this summer, as the current economic situation means that there are results to be had on the transfer market that were not previously possible.

…PSG’s rumoured interest in Matheus Cunha: There has been no official interest, just media gossip about PSG’s potential interest. I will just say that we didn’t sign the player in January to then give him up in summer. I spoke a lot with Matheus in the winter, discussing what he feels is important for him. He is a young player who wanted more playing time and he has found a new home here where he can spend the next years of his life. That’s what he wanted when he made the move to Berlin and I think that he, like a lot of the lads, can benefit a lot from a good preseason. Matheus has had a great six months with us so far and is a key part of our plans going forward.

…the challenges posed by the international break: We are in close contact with all of the national associations. Starting this week there are new FIFA guidelines which have been brought in due to the increased levels of risk associated with the pandemic. At the moment we plan to allow all of our players to go and play for their national sides but if things change, and our players are forced to quarantine for 14 days upon their return, then we would have to make these players unavailable.

…the situation regarding a new shirt sponsor: Ideally we would have a new partner in place before we get back into competitive action, but it’s not completely necessary. We are in talks but we are yet to come to any final agreement. We are considering our next steps very carefully and are confident that we will soon be able to present a suitable partner.

…the potential return of fans: We all want to get back to normal and have fans back in the stands, even before we consider the economic side of things. But from the very beginning, the number one priority has always been public health, and this remains the case. But we still see it as our duty to prepare to welcome fans back, whenever and however this may be possible. We know that by law, gatherings in Berlin can currently have a maximum of 5,000 people – this decree will last until 24th October. As a result, we have been in talks with the relevant authorities about various ideas for how fans could return. Together with the department of public health, we have worked on numerous scenarios with varying numbers of permitted spectators so that we are able to act with short notice in the future.

…possible financial pressure owing to the current circumstances: Obviously things are currently very different to how we would have expected. We are trying to use the funds we have available to allow our team to keep developing. We have to find players who fit in with the squad, who want to achieve great things with Hertha, and who want to take the club to the next level. We have greater financial means than before but we still have to be careful with our resources. We have to make good decisions. We all share the same goal – to ensure that Hertha improve on all fronts!