Steve Mounié has left FC Augsburg for Turkey—and thanked coach Sandro Wagner before doing so.
Pre-season preparation certainly provides certain insights, at least in terms of the start of the season. However, it can also lead to false conclusions, because test matches and training sessions only allow limited insight into the inner workings of a Bundesliga team.
Steve Mounié, for example, could certainly be considered the winner of the preseason at FC Augsburg. After a disastrous previous season, the 30-year-old striker had set his sights on a fresh start and impressed with goals in the first few games under coach Sandro Wagner. The Benin international even scored the important 1-0 goal in the competitive opener in the cup against regional league side Halle.
Nevertheless, this did not lead to a promising position under Wagner. Instead, he told his burly striker “that it will be difficult in terms of playing time, given how I want to play soccer in the Bundesliga.” That is why FCA has now loaned Mounié to Turkish first division club Alanyaspor for €100,000 without an option to buy.
Wagner himself admits that he “isn’t good at tactics, which of course sometimes works against me. But I think that’s a strength internally. That I can only really assess and explain things as they are.”
“Clear and good communication”
That’s why Wagner Mounié clearly explained the situation to him. “In our first conversation, he thanked me for my openness, which he had never experienced before. From start to finish, the communication was very clear and good. I’m very glad that we made it clear to him from the outset that it would be difficult. Not just in October or November.”
Mounié is captain of Benin and wants to lead his nation to victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in December, not sit on the bench. “He has big goals with the national team and needs playing time. So this has been a very good situation for everyone,” says Wagner. “Now we hope he scores a lot of goals and stays healthy. And we’re keeping our fingers crossed for him.”