Ermedin Demirovic has established himself as a key player at VfB Stuttgart, with the Bosnian having scored 32 goals in 87 games over the past two years. So it’s hardly surprising that there’s speculation about his future. That really rubs coach Sebastian Hoeneß the wrong way.
Recently, there had been reports suggesting that VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß wasn’t categorically opposed to selling Ermedin Demirovic—and at the same time, there was talk of alleged interest from the top Turkish club Fenerbahçe Istanbul. Hoeneß did not take this well at all. “I was irritated and, to be honest, also annoyed by some of what was being discussed there,” the 44-year-old said on Saturday after the 5-0 friendly win at FSV Hollenbach, emphasizing: “My goal is always to have the best players at VfB, and Medo is one of our best players.”
The 28-year-old, who played in all four World Cup matches for Bosnia and Herzegovina and is therefore currently still on vacation, is thus likely to be firmly in the plans for the upcoming season. Of course, it goes without saying that in the business of soccer, nothing is really set in stone—and much of it is simply a matter of money.
Denial from Istanbul
Istanbul, however, will not be the forward’s next stop, as Fenerbahçe also felt compelled to issue a denial. “The reports appearing in the press claiming that our club is interested in Ermedin Demirovic, who plays for Stuttgart, are completely unfounded,” the Istanbul club stated on its website, clearly emphasizing that it had “made no transfer inquiries regarding the player in question.”
Demirovic is expected back in Stuttgart this coming Friday, July 31, before the VfB squad heads to a short training camp in Grassau on Lake Chiemsee (August 4–7). That’s when his preseason preparations will really get underway; high-profile friendly matches against Paris FC (August 1) and Everton (August 8) are also on the schedule, before things get serious with the first round of the cup on Friday, August 21 (8:45 p.m.) at Hansa Rostock. The Swabians will open the new Bundesliga season with an away match against double champion Bayern Munich (Friday, August 28, 8:30 p.m.).
