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Simon Rolfes: "I find my own way, but also benefit from the experience of older people"
Photo: Tom Weller / dpa
Simon Rolfes, sports director of Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, countered a tip from Uli Hoeneß. Of course you need a bit of luck with player transfers, "but luck is not a coincidence," Rolfes made clear in the Sport1 one-two.
Bayern Munich's honorary president Hoeneß had claimed before the 3-0 defeat in the top game that Leverkusen and Baumeister Rolfes had had "a bit of luck with their transfers" in the summer - especially with regard to Alejandro Grimaldo, who came on a free transfer from Benfica Lisbon and scored with his goal 2-0 against Bayern already collected the 21st scorer point in the 30th game.
»Unfortunately it wasn't the case that there was no competition. With Grimaldo we knew we had a chance in the summer," said Rolfes: "We had had him on our radar for a while, I was already in Lisbon in 2019 and watched a game."
In everyday life, the former Bayer professional exchanges a lot about the team with coach Xabi Alonso. Thanks to his playing history and experience, Alonso is "of course a factor" in contract discussions; so far they have "always come to an agreement" on all decisions, said Rolfes.
Rolfes said of his predecessor as sports director at Bayer, Rudi Völler: “He was always an advisor, but sometimes he had a certain stubbornness.” Völler – now sports director at the DFB – is “still here often and still has an office. We often eat together and exchange ideas. I find my own way, but also benefit from the experience of older people,” says Rolfes.
He sees the origin of the current success “in the sale of Kai Havertz,” who moved to Chelsea FC in 2020 for around 80 million. The income allowed us to sign "many young players" around Florian Wirtz "who have grown." This summer we brought in players "who are absolute leaders."
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