FC St. Pauli: Upheaval in the squad – who will replace the departures?

FC St. Pauli: Upheaval in the squad – who will replace the departures?

FC St. Pauli's summer preparation is in full swing and brings with it some exciting but also challenging changes. After relegation in the Bundesliga, the club's squad changed fundamentally. A total of twelve players have already left the team, including prominent names such as Johannes Eggestein, whose contract was not extended, and Elias Saad, who was injured. Simon Zoller has also ended his career, while Noah Weißhaupt and Morgan Guilavogui have been loaned out, with St. Pauli pursuing a purchase option for Weißhaupt, but this was rejected by SC Freiburg. Guilavogui, who was the top scorer last season, was brought back by RC Lens.

As a result of this upheaval, the club is facing major challenges. Two to three new players are urgently needed to make the squad competitive for the coming season. The need for a left-back is particularly urgent now that Philipp Treu is likely to leave the club, as there is already interest from Freiburg, according to media reports. The team is also looking for a center forward if Maurides is not included, and the departures on the offensive flanks do not make the situation any easier. The targeted new signing is Australian striker Noah Botic, although it is still unclear at what level the new players will join, as ndr.de reports.

Injury worries and new faces

Two key players are missing at the start of preparation: Karol Mets and Jackson Irvine. Mets underwent surgery for patellar tendon problems and is now working hard on his rehabilitation plan. Irvine, on the other hand, has a stress fracture whose healing time remains uncertain. Both failures are a bitter setback for coach Alexander Blessin, especially since the squad is not yet fully filled. Nevertheless, six new players have started training: Arkadiusz Pyrka, Simpon Spari, Jannik Robatsch, Mathias Pereira Lage, Ricky-Jade Jones and Joel Chima Fujita bring a breath of fresh air to the team.

Despite the changes, the squad still turned out to be relatively well-staffed, especially compared to other teams. FC St. Pauli still has around seven weeks to prepare for the new Bundesliga season and the training intensity will certainly be ramped up as planned in order to prepare the players for the challenges ahead. The situation is reminiscent of the squad upheaval at SSV Ulm 1846, where numerous players have also left the club, while at the same time fresh talent is moving in.

How the coming season will turn out remains to be seen. The pressure on FC St. Pauli is increased, after all it will be crucial whether the new players can meet the requirements and form a well-coordinated team. The anticipation of the new season combined with skepticism as to whether the quality is sufficient to overcome injury-related setbacks and upheaval paints an exciting picture for the club's fans.