Sanneh: Career endangered, Casey: Back to Dortmund, Berhalter: Negotiations failed

From kicker articles:

‘There definitely won’t be a comeback of US national player Anthony Sanneh in this season. The 31 year old, who last played at the 2-2 against Cottbus in December, was ordered a two months sports break due to his inflamed joint in the spine. The bitter thing: the problems occur from being worn out (?), all yet used treatment methods as even a surgery in February failed. The right footed player with contract until 2004 now travels home to a specialist he already went to in the winter break. If he also doesn’t know a further clue, then Sanneh has to fear about his career.’


‘… [President] Kind’s consequence: “Before we buy, we have to sell.” GM Moar knows “that I have to get a smaller and better roster.” This sound like squaring the circle and it leads to questionable decisions: with Conor Casey (21) they give away a highly talented forward as his contract expires – while million flop Blaise N’Kufo (27) is sitting on a well paid contract until 2006. Dariusz Zuraw (30), hardly on the roster, was bound until 2004 via option “to secure the transfer rights” – but it may be doubted that they find someone to pay a transfer sum for him. Moar expects a poker with bad cards; at the end he won’t have a choice and terminate the contracts with reserve players as N’Kufo and Kai Oswald by paying a termination sum.’

The Hannover article contains a picture of the heading Casey with the text: “High talented – and yet without future at 96: forward Conor Casey, here getting the ball against Madouni (BVB) and colleague Kaufman.”


‘Goalie Andre Lenz and midfielder Timo Rost (has an offer from Nuremberg) want to stay in Bundesliga. Silvio Schröter knows that he stays in Bundesliga, but doesn’t know where at the moment, and Marko Topic doesn’t want to stay despite that the club has an option. Vragel da Silva’s and Gregg Berhalter’s salary imaginations are not matching the financial possibilities of the club. Andrzej Juskowiak and Andrzej Kobylanski would stay in Cottbus…’

 

Regarding Casey:

You can't compare him to Kirovski - they are entirely different kinds of forwards and Casey has much, much more talent.

Certainly he'd have to expect playing for the reserves in Dortmund (which are a top D3 team and not D5 btw), that's just natural given that Jan Koller and Marcio Amoroso are his rivals. Also in the reserves he probably would not always start as there Heiko Herrlich (doesn't want to leave, but he's without chance for the Bundesliga roster), David Odonkor (a 19 year old top prospect with little Bundesliga and Champions League experience) and Sar Sinisie (a 17 year old giant talent) are fighting for two spots with him.

As stupid as it sounds: it might be good for Conor if Dortmund misses the Champions League. There is some fear in Dortmund at the moment (a fresh article is on the Germany board) as they'd lose 25 M in this case, and their payroll is over 60 M. They'd have to get rid off some players with Amoroso being a favourite candidate for that.

I see the situation absolutely similar as panicfc though: he should try to go to a 2.Bundesliga club. Problem is that his contract in Dortmund expires and they might want to keep him to check his talent. Other possibility would be to loan him if Conor extends his contract in Dortmund simultaneously, but in this case I'd rather recommend him to play a season D3 and then be a free transfer. Another problem is that indeed Hannover is playing a perfect system for him with 3 forwards and Conor being the center - but not many clubs play in this tactical scheme.

Anyway, he's got to find his way also in the preferred two forwards system and in 2.Bundesliga he'd get playing time. In the winter break there were rumours about St Pauli and Essen; St Pauli has chances to stay in and Essen has good chances to promote, so maybe their interest is kept alive. St Pauli seems to lose one of their forwards to Bielefeld regardless of the league anyway.