After the recent friendly match against Roma, Kaiserslautern's managing director Thomas Hengen spoke to the German media about the team's preparation and future plans.
Kaiserslautern, which includes Azerbaijani footballer Mahir Emreli, lost 0–1 to a strong opponent in front of 35,650 spectators, Idman.biz reports.
The only goal of the match came in the 16th minute, scored by Roma’s Irish forward Evan Ferguson after a mistake by goalkeeper Julian Krahl.
Alongside Mahir Emreli, who was substituted at halftime, the team’s other new signings, Simon Asta, Maxwell Gyamfi, Fabian Kunze, and Semih Sahin, all started the match. Among the new arrivals, defender Ji-Soo Kim and striker Ivan Prtajin came on at the start of the second half.
Speaking to SWR after the match, Thomas Hengen said: “It was a good test for us. We gained valuable insights. We’re curious to see how we perform in the first round.”
Kaiserslautern will kick off the new 2. Bundesliga season this Sunday, August 3, with an away game against Hannover. The team’s starting lineup is highly anticipated. Hengen emphasized the healthy competition within the squad, stating: “There’s a good competitive environment. Our goal is to finish in the top six of the league table.”
Touching on transfer policy, the club official said the squad is not yet finalized: “The squad hasn’t taken its final shape. The transfer window is still open, and anything is possible, we don’t know exactly who will join or leave.”
He added that after the first official matches, they will assess the current situation and make changes if necessary: “We are very satisfied with what we’ve seen so far, but we’ll make certain adjustments if needed.”
Hengen refrained from specifying which positions might be subject to changes, instead highlighting the strong competition within the team: “There will be tough decisions. We have two players for almost every position. That’s why we don’t want to reveal the details.”
Idman.biz
