Martin Schmidt has his hands full - the sports director of FSV Mainz 05 picks up a pen and signs a player's contract every 24 hours.

There were four that week.

Newcomer Anderson Lucoqui was followed by extensions with Leandro Barreiro and Karim Onisiwo, each until mid-2024. And on Saturday the club announced the most surprising personality up until then: Dominik Kohr, on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt since January, will not return to the Europa League participant , but also play in Mainz next season.

"As early as January we had the feeling that Dominik fits perfectly into our team and game system," says Schmidt. "His strong performance in the second half of the season confirmed this." The 27-year-old Kohr, like Danny da Costa, the second loan from Eintracht, immediately became a regular and formed the running duel in most of the games with Barreiro, who was six years his junior - and a strong defensive midfield.

“With his presence as an experienced, aggressive leader 'on the pitch and his personality, Dominik is someone who his teammates orientate themselves on and whom they can rely on,” praised head coach Bo Svensson Kohr as a “stabilizing factor”.

He has many virtues that he expects and, despite his almost 200 Bundesliga appearances, is willing to keep developing.

"He is exactly right here for that."

"Mainz as a sporting home"

With the contract extensions, the Mainz team also counteracted the fear in the environment that the team could fall apart after the most successful second half of the club's history and staying in class.

In fact, three departures, all of which are free of charge, have been confirmed so far.

For a long time that of captain Danny Latza for FC Schalke 04, after the end of the season Levin Öztunali (Union Berlin) and Phillipp Mwene (presumably PSV Eindhoven) joined them. The fact that the Austrian, who was set up as left defender under Svensson, announced his departure represents a painful turning point - which the club quickly paved with the commitment of the Angolan national player Lucoqui from Zweibrücken (Palatinate).

Keeping Barreiro and Onisiwo were also two important pieces in the squad puzzle. The young Luxembourger, who was discovered by Svensson since the B-youth at Bruchweg and at the time, represents the generation that is pushing its way out of its own youth training center to become professionals. And the 29-year-old Austrian, who was the striker with the most appearances and playing minutes last season, has also been wearing the 05 jersey for five and a half years. “Mainz 05 has become my sporting home,” says the physically strong Onisiwo. "Here they give me the feeling that they are building on me and want to continue building me up."