So far, GAK is the only team which signed new players for the spring season. They received Dominic Hassler from Austria Salzburg, which is a big one for the "reds" and a big loss for Salzburg. After Hassler, the Athletic club from Graz also signed former Rhinos player Muratovic. The club also wants to get Gerd Wimmer of Hansa Rostock, who is not lucky with his situation in the club anymore. On the other side they could lose their best talent, Ilco Naumoski. It is said that he's got connections to some English clubs. The city rival Sturm Graz is trying to get a deal with Austria Wien about a transfer of goalkeeper Thomas Mandl, and is also grabbing for the Icelandic national team keeper Arni Gautur Arason, who is currently at Rosenborg Trondheim. On the other side, the 36-year old defender Franck Silvestre seems to deal with the french club FC Rouen. Would be a crushing blow for Sturm if he left.
Austria Wien let Thomas Mandl join Sturm Graz for 1,5 years and signed former Salzburg keeper Szabolcs Safar (HUN) instead.
The Rhinos player signed is actually Mladenov. He's a Bulgarian. Big and strong for a midfielder. He can distribute, defend and finish. Enjoy him. We'll miss Stoian.
Scharzweiss: You mention that Mladenov was with Rhinos prior to signing with Graz. Is is widely known that the Rhinos are a 2nd division American team that won the national tournament against D1 teams in 1999? I was just surprised with the familiar non-chalance with the way you used Rhino. Are the Rhinos that widely known by socceratis outside of the states?
First of all, I don't know a player called Mladenov - The media said that this guy is called Samir Muratovic and formerly played for those Rhinos. There's a picture: http://www.gak.at/ezimagecatalogue/catalogue/variations/2766-300x300.jpg He joined GAK from russian squad FC Saturn Ramenskoje. Of course it is possible that our regional media made some errors, but there was a biography and a pic of Muratovic in a Rhinos shirt in the newspaper.
GAK is still very active with doing transfers. Midfielder Enrico Kulovits left the club to play for FC Xanthi of Greece. He signed a 3 year - contract. Another one for Sturm Graz too, the current number 1-keeper Filip de Wilde left the club. The 39-year-old signed a contract with FC Lokeren of Belgium. And the 36-year-old defender Franck Silvestre is could leave Sturm to join french 2nd league squad FC Racing Rouen. Austrian Bundesliga-squad FC Kärnten signed Martin Hattenberger of SV Wörgl.
Think I got to the bottom of the confusion. Did a quick search and discovered that former Rochester Rhino Mladenov did indeed sign with an Austrian club. But he joined LASK (Linz) in the First Division rather than GAK (Graz) in the Bundesliga. http://www2.kurier.at/fussball/469582.php Bleacherbutt, LASK has traditionally been a Bundesliga team and has spent many years in the top division, but it dropped down in 2001. Couldn't find where the Bosnian Muratovic ever played for the Rochester Rhinos. His last club was in Russia. http://www2.kurier.at/fussball/469591.php
Thought so. After a bit of digging, I discovered that "Matthias" Hattenberger is indeed the son of former Austrian international and VfB Stuttgart player Roland Hattenberger. FC Kärnten needs all the help they can get.
Yeah, there it is now. Muratovic signed for GAK and formerly played for Saturn Ramenskoje in Russia. Mladenov joined LASK. Austria's former national team captain Andi Herzog is considering to join FC Kärnten.
Martin Hasek is the younger brother of the legendary ice hockey goalie Dominik Hasek. I saw where he was claiming the money at Dynamo Moscow is better than in Austria. Plus the coach there is a fellow Czech who led Sparta Prague. Hasek is a fairly significant loss for Sturm Graz, I would think. I believe he was out of contract, right?
Quaker In fact we're all happy that he's gone. Hasek didn't really do what we all expected of him. He was just sitting on the bench nearly all the time, maybe played 8 games for Sturm Graz all in all...
A shocking loss for Sturm Graz today: French defender Franck Silvestre left the club to join a Quatarian squad. The club got 100.000 € for letting Silvestre go. Now Sturm's defense troubles will surely start again as same as before...
FC Kärnten signed the polish internatonial Bogdan Zajac signed a contract until the end of the 2003/04 championship with an option for another year. SV Pasching gave away the turkish midfielder Faruk Atalay, the 22-year old is now a Bosman player. The 22-year-old Salzburg forward Dominic Hassler joins GAK. The player signs a contract until summer 2004. It seems like Franck Silvestre will now stay in Graz. The quatarian club didn't pay the money in the nick of time.
Another transfer for FC Kärnten - 32-year-old goalkeeper Zeljko Pavlovic joins the carinthian squad. The Croatian joins Kärnten on a free transfer. Sturm Graz is looking for a new defender. The current Manchester City player Christian Negouai is candidate number one for the styrian club.
After losing Pavlovic and Hassler, Salzburg signed former Austria Wien - allrounder Paul Scharner. Good one for Salzburg...
And again Kärnten: The club signed the german midfielder Ansgar Brinkmann off LR Ahlen. The 34-year-old signs a contract until the end of the season with an option for another year. The contract between FC Kärnten and Brazilian midfielder Jesus Junior was eliminated.
Guess who made another transfer - FC Kärnten. The club signed former polnish international Jerzy Brzeczek of Sturm Graz. The midfielder signs a contract until the end of the season with an option.
Summary of the transfer activities: AUSTRIA WIEN Players joined: Szabolcs Safar (HUN/Spartak Moscow) Gone: Thomas Mandl (Sturm Graz), Paul Scharner (SV Salzburg), Petter Rudi (NOR/Molde BK). RAPID WIEN Joined: Axel Lawaree (BEL/SW Bregenz) Gone: - GRAZER AK Joined: Samir Muratovic (BOS/Ramenskoje), Dominic Hassler (SV Salzburg), Libor Sionko (CZE/Sparta Prague) Gone: Enrico Kulovits (Xanthi), Skelley Adu Tutu (GHA), Thomas Lechner, Michael Liendl (all three SV Kapfenberg), Benedict Akwuegbu (NIG/FC Kärnten), Michael Hübler (Sankt Andrä). SV PASCHING Joined: Patrick Jezek (CZE/Sparta Prague) Gone: Michael Horvath (SC Untersiebenbrunn), Faruk Atalay (TUR/Royal Antwerp), Jürgen Kauz (SC Altach). SW BREGENZ Joined: - Gone: Axel Lawaree (BEL/Rapid Wien), Thomas Eller (FC Lustenau). ADMIRA WACKER MÖDLING Joined: Pascal Ortner (LASK Linz), Dusan Popovic (SM/FK Timoc). Gone: Joachim Parapatits (SC Untersiebenbrunn), Sebastian Olszar (HUN/FC Portsmouth), Tomislav Misura (SVK/?), Daniel Wolf (LASK Linz). SV MATTERSBURG Joined: Milivoje Novakovic (SM/ASK Voitsberg) Gone: Michael Miksits (FC Lustenau) SV SALZBURG Joined: Paul Scharner (Austria Wien), Mario Salgado (CHI/Brescia Calcio), Goncalves Juliano (BRA/Sao Esporte), Richarlyson Barbosa Felisbiano (BRA/Santo Andre). Gone: Dominic Hassler (GAK), Volkan Kahraman (Xanthi), Zeljko Pavlovic (CRO/FC Kärnten), Rene Schicker (SV Kapfenberg). STURM GRAZ Joined: Thomas Mandl (Austria Wien) Gone: Filip de Wilde (BEL/Lokeren), Jerzy Brzeczek (POL/Sturm Graz), Martin Hasek (CZE/Spartak Moscow). FC KÄRNTEN Joined: Jerzy Brzeczek (POL/Sturm Graz), Bogdan Zajac (POL/Widzew Lodz), Ansgar Brinkmann (GER/LR Ahlen), Benedict Akwuegbu (NIG/GAK), Mtthias Hattenberger (SV Wörgl), Zeljko Pavlovic (CRO/SV Salzburg). Gone: Thomas Ambrosius (DK), Heimo Vorderegger, Alexander Schenk, Martin Morgenstern (all BSV Juniors Villach), Arno Kozelsky (DSV Leoben), Jesus Junior (BRA/?)
I think the most remarkable transfer within the league is Lawaree from Bregenz to Rapid Wien. Axel is a great striker for Austrian league, and was top scorer last season. Bregenz will be significantly weaker without him and Rapid will further improve. Their will be much competition up front now with Wagner, Wallner, Vico, perhaps Kienast, and Lawaree. Wagner got injured in an internal practice yesterday though and might be out for a short while.
Shock for Sturm Graz: Hungarian midfielder György Korsos signed a contract with Rapid Wien, he will join the capital club at the beginnig of the 2004/05 season.