Hertha Berlin are hoping cleverness can make up for lack of cash
Money=transfers=success. That's the football formula last season's fourth-placed team is trying to disprove. DW-WORLD's Jefferson Chase looks at whether Hertha Berlin can solve a tough equation.
There won't be any record signings in the German capital this summer. In 2008-09, Hertha Berlin broke out of the mid-table doldrums and earned more points than ever before, but if you think that would be cause for a spending spree, you don't know Hertha's books. The "old lady," as the club is known, is bent on reducing its personnel costs by five million euros ($7 million). That's led to the departures of the squad's two top strikers, Marko Pantelic and Andriy Voronin, and the consensus choice for the Bundesliga's best defensive player last year, Josip Simunic. In fact, Hertha only have around 25 million euros in total for players - significantly less than one-third of what Real Madrid paid to pry Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. Conventional wisdom would say that Hertha are heading for a precipitous fall this autumn. But the club thinks it can build on last season's success and balance the books - thanks to a new general manager, a no-nonsense strategist as a coach and at least one very unorthodox acquisition. Second chance for King Artur Hertha's main move thus far - other than selling Simunic for seven million euros - is to bring back one of the most reviled former players in recent years: striker Artur Wichniarek. The Polish forward spent two hapless years in the capital from 2003 to 2005, scoring just four goals in 44 appearances. Hertha have chosen to ignore that bleak bit of the past for two reasons: Wichniarek's record at his former club Bielefeld is impressive - 83 goals in 207 matches - and he's keen. King Artur's lack of success in the capital reportedly gnawed at him so much that he was willing to fork out a quarter of a million euros of his own money to buy himself out of his Bielefeld contract and take another crack at conquering Berlin. Hertha also have two promising but largely untested young forwards - Valeri Domovchiyski and Armine Chermiti - who they hope can make quantum leaps in 2009-10. But the weight of expectations - and the habitual skepticism of Hertha's supporters - will be on Wichniarek, who ended his last tenure in Berlin in utter acrimony and whose return was only made possible by the departure of a former enemy. Hoeness out, Preetz in Hertha's first move of the off-season was to oust Dieter Hoeness as its long-time general manager. When the former Bayern striker came to the club in 1996, it was struggling to stay in the second division. Under Hoeness, Hertha quickly established itself in the top flight and once even qualified for the Champions League. But Hoeness came under increasing pressure for some expensive transfer flops (chiefly Brazilian strikers) and for his propensity to make grandiose pronouncements in the media. The fact that impecunious Hertha were willing to part with a million euros to get him to resign in June is a sign of how much the club wanted him gone. Hertha's all-time leading goal scorer Michael Preetz has taken over, inheriting both Hoeness' achievements and some 25 million euros in debts that he racked up while trying to heave Berlin into the upper echelons of European soccer. During his career on the pitch, Preetz was known as an efficient, but also affable and intelligent player so there's reason to believe he can be convincing with potential signees. But more importantly, he gets on well with the man who has now been given unprecedented power to form the squad - coach Lucien Favre. Lulu's baby In only two seasons with the club, "Lulu" Favre has completely remade Hertha. Only five players remain from the squad he took over in 2007, and the Swiss coach has focused on building up a multi-talented, young midfield. Serbian Gojko Kacar and Brazilians Cicero and Raffael in particular impressed last season, scoring 19 goals between them. Manchester United are rumored to be keeping Kacar under observation and are said to believe that the 22-year-old all-rounder is worth at least 12 million euros. Hertha also reportedly turned down a 10-million-euro offer from French side Olympique Lyon for Raffael. Basically Hertha believe that with that trio, plus German national defender Arne Friedrich and rock-steady keeper Jaroslav Drobny, the squad has a solid core capable of improving next season. And Favre's insistence that his charges be capable of playing multiple positions means that he's better able to compensate for injuries and suspensions than most coaches. Still, expectations are one thing, and results another, and many teams have been burned when younger players didn't make the progress their bosses envisioned for them. If Hertha are able to maintain or surpass their level of play last season while cutting the budget, it will solidify Favre's argument that he is building a team of the future. But if the goals don't come up front, or the back four folds without Simunic, or the midfield trio stagnates, Hertha could find itself having to borrow some money in mid-season just to stave off collapse. Author: Jefferson Chase Editor: Chuck Penfold
Hertha Berlin
Hertha_BSC Hertha_BSC_II
DW-WORLD
Jefferson Chase
Hertha Berlin
Hertha_BSC Hertha_BSC_II
German
2008-09
Hertha Berlin
Hertha_BSC Hertha_BSC_II
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
five million euros
$7 million
strikers
Marko Pantelic
Marko_Pantelić
Andriy Voronin
Andriy_Voronin
Bundesliga
Bundesliga Frauen-Bundesliga Basketball_Bundesliga Austrian_Football_Bundesliga 2016–17_Bundesliga 2013–14_Bundesliga Handball-Bundesliga 2007–08_Bundesliga Bundesliga_(baseball) 2012–13_Bundesliga 2014–15_Bundesliga 2011–12_Bundesliga Handball-Bundesliga_(women) 2008–09_Bundesliga 2009–10_Bundesliga 2015–16_Bundesliga
Josip Simunic
Josip_Šimunić
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
25 million euros
Real Madrid
Real_Madrid_C.F. Real_Madrid_Baloncesto Real_Madrid_C.F._(youth) Real_Madrid_Voleibol Real_Madrid_Rugby Real_Madrid_Baloncesto_B Real_Madrid_(South_Africa) 2017–18_Real_Madrid_Baloncesto_season 2016–17_Real_Madrid_Baloncesto_season 2015–16_Real_Madrid_Baloncesto_season Real_Madrid_Balonmano La_Fábrica 2015–16_Real_Madrid_C.F._season Real_Madrid_C Real_Madrid_Castilla 2010–11_Real_Madrid_Baloncesto_season
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano_Ronaldo
Manchester United
Manchester_United_F.C. Manchester_United_F.C._Reserves_and_Academy Manchester_United_W.F.C. Manchester_Giants_(1975–2001) Manchester_United_(video_game_series) Manchester_62_F.C. Manchester_Eagles 1998–99_Manchester_United_F.C._season Glazer_ownership_of_Manchester_United Manchester_Giants Manchester_City_F.C. 2010–11_Manchester_United_F.C._season Manchester_United_(song) Manchester_United_Football_Ground_railway_station Paul_McGuigan_(musician) Leeds_United_F.C.–Manchester_United_F.C._rivalry
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
King Artur
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
Simunic
Josip_Šimunić
striker
Artur Wichniarek
Artur_Wichniarek
Polish
2003
2005
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
Wichniarek
Bielefeld
Bielefeld Bielefeld_Hauptbahnhof Bielefeld_University Arminia_Bielefeld Bielefeld_Opera
King Artur
quarter of a million euros
Bielefeld
Bielefeld Bielefeld_Hauptbahnhof Bielefeld_University Arminia_Bielefeld Bielefeld_Opera
Berlin
Berlin Humboldt_University_of_Berlin Berlin_(band) German_Open_(WTA) Berlin,_New_Hampshire Berlin_Hauptbahnhof Olympiastadion_(Berlin) Berlin,_Connecticut Berlin_International_Film_Festival Berlin,_Maryland Berlin_(Lou_Reed_album) Berlin,_New_Jersey Berlin,_Massachusetts Berlin,_Wisconsin East_Berlin Battle_of_Berlin
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
Valeri Domovchiyski
Valeri_Domovchiyski
Armine Chermiti
2009-10
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
Wichniarek
Berlin
Berlin Humboldt_University_of_Berlin Berlin_(band) German_Open_(WTA) Berlin,_New_Hampshire Berlin_Hauptbahnhof Olympiastadion_(Berlin) Berlin,_Connecticut Berlin_International_Film_Festival Berlin,_Maryland Berlin_(Lou_Reed_album) Berlin,_New_Jersey Berlin,_Massachusetts Berlin,_Wisconsin East_Berlin Battle_of_Berlin
Hoeness
Dieter_Hoeneß
Preetz
Preetz Michael_Preetz Preetz,_Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
Dieter Hoeness
Dieter_Hoeneß
Bayern
Bavaria FC_Bayern_Munich Bayern_(horse) FC_Bayern_Munich_(basketball) Bayern_(song) German_frigate_Bayern FC_Bayern_Munich_(women) Bayern-class_battleship Bavarian_Cup SMS_Bayern FC_Bayern_Munich_II Regionalliga_Bayern Kingdom_of_Bavaria Hamburg-class_destroyer
1996
Hoeness
Dieter_Hoeneß
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
Champions League
UEFA_Champions_League UEFA_Women's_Champions_League 2012–13_UEFA_Champions_League 2013–14_UEFA_Champions_League 2009–10_UEFA_Champions_League 2014–15_UEFA_Champions_League 2010–11_UEFA_Champions_League Women's_EHF_Champions_League 2011–12_UEFA_Champions_League 2008–09_UEFA_Champions_League 2015–16_UEFA_Champions_League 2016–17_UEFA_Champions_League 2006–07_UEFA_Champions_League 2017–18_UEFA_Champions_League 2007–08_UEFA_Champions_League Basketball_Champions_League
Hoeness
Dieter_Hoeneß
Brazilian
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
million euros
June
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
goal scorer
Michael Preetz
Michael_Preetz
Hoeness
Dieter_Hoeneß
25 million euros
Berlin
Berlin Humboldt_University_of_Berlin Berlin_(band) German_Open_(WTA) Berlin,_New_Hampshire Berlin_Hauptbahnhof Olympiastadion_(Berlin) Berlin,_Connecticut Berlin_International_Film_Festival Berlin,_Maryland Berlin_(Lou_Reed_album) Berlin,_New_Jersey Berlin,_Massachusetts Berlin,_Wisconsin East_Berlin Battle_of_Berlin
European
Preetz
Preetz Michael_Preetz Preetz,_Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
coach
Lucien Favre
Lucien_Favre
Lulu
Lulu_(singer) Lulu_(opera) Lulu.com Lulu_(Lou_Reed_and_Metallica_album) Lulu_Spencer Lulu_(1962_film) Lulu_(1953_film) Lulu_(1996_film) Lulu_plays Lulu_(1981_album) Earth_Spirit_(play) LuLu Lu'lu'_al-Kabir Lulu_(Trip_Shakespeare_album) Lulu_(Final_Fantasy) Lulu_Hypermarket
"Lulu" Favre
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
2007
Swiss
Serbian
Gojko Kacar
Gojko_Kačar
Brazilians
Cicero
Cicero Cicero,_Illinois Cicero,_New_York Cícero_Santos Cicero_(horse) Cícero_Semedo Cicero,_Indiana Cicero_(magazine) Marcus_Tullius_Cicero_(Rome_character) Cicero_Township,_Cook_County,_Illinois Chicago_Motor_Speedway Cicero_station_(Metra) Cicero_station_(CTA_Pink_Line) Cicero_station_(CTA_Blue_Line) Elyesa_Bazna Cicero_station_(CTA_Green_Line)
Raffael
Raffael_(footballer) Raphael
Manchester United
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Kacar
Kaçar Gojko_Kačar Kačar
12 million euros
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
10-million-euro
French
Olympique Lyon
Olympique_Lyonnais_Féminin Olympique_Lyonnais Olympique_Lyonnais_Reserves_and_Academy
Raffael
Raffael_(footballer) Raphael
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
German
national defender
Arne Friedrich
Arne_Friedrich
keeper
Jaroslav Drobny
Jaroslav_Drobný Jaroslav_Drobný_(footballer)
Favre
Brett_Favre Corinne_Favre Favre Anthony_Favre Favre_Lake_(Nevada) Peter_Faber Jules_Favre
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
Favre
Brett_Favre Corinne_Favre Favre Anthony_Favre Favre_Lake_(Nevada) Peter_Faber Jules_Favre
Simunic
Josip_Šimunić
Hertha
Hertha_BSC Hertha_(novel) Nerthus Fredrika_Bremer_Association SMS_Hertha
Author: Jefferson Chase Editor: Chuck Penfold
Hertha Berlin
Hertha_BSC
iptc::15000000 slot::keyword sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::organization type::sport_team
Jefferson Chase
gender::male slot::keyword topic::media type::entity type::journalist type::person
Bundesliga
Bundesliga
iptc::15000000 slot::keyword sport::20001065 sport_event::20001115 topic::sport type::competition type::entity type::event type::sport_competition
Josip Simunic
Josip_Šimunić
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
"Lulu" Favre
Lucien_Favre
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_coach
Dieter Hoeness
Dieter_Hoeneß
gender::male iptc::15000000 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_head
Artur Wichniarek
Artur_Wichniarek
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
Michael Preetz
Michael_Preetz
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_head type::sport_player
Gojko Kacar
Gojko_Kačar
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
DW-WORLD
topic::media type::entity type::media type::organization
German
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
2008-09
topic::none type::time type::value
five million euros
topic::none type::money type::value
$7 million
topic::none type::money type::value
strikers
topic::none type::role type::value
Marko Pantelic
Marko_Pantelić
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
Andriy Voronin
Andriy_Voronin
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
25 million euros
topic::none type::money type::value
Real Madrid
Real_Madrid_CF
iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::organization type::sport_team
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano_Ronaldo
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
Manchester United
Manchester_United_F.C.
iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::organization type::sport_team
striker
topic::none type::role type::value
Polish
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
2003
topic::none type::time type::value
2005
topic::none type::time type::value
Bielefeld
Arminia_Bielefeld
iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::organization type::sport_team
quarter of a million euros
topic::none type::money type::value
Berlin
Berlin
topic::none type::entity type::gpe type::gpe2 type::location
Valeri Domovchiyski
Valeri_Domovchiyski
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
Armine Chermiti
Amine_Chermiti
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
2009-10
topic::none type::time type::value
Bayern
FC_Bayern_Munich
iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::organization type::sport_team
1996
topic::none type::time type::value
Champions League
UEFA_Champions_League
iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 sport_event::20001110 topic::sport type::competition type::entity type::event type::sport_competition
Brazilian
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
million euros
topic::none type::money type::value
June
topic::none type::time type::value
goal scorer
topic::none type::role type::value
European
topic::none type::loc-x type::other
coach
topic::none type::role type::value
2007
topic::none type::time type::value
Swiss
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
Serbian
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
Brazilians
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
Cicero
Cícero_Santos
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
Raffael
Raffael_(footballer)
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
12 million euros
topic::none type::money type::value
10-million-euro
topic::none type::money type::value
French
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
Olympique Lyon
Olympique_Lyonnais
iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::organization type::sport_team
national defender
topic::none type::role type::value
Arne Friedrich
Arne_Friedrich
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
keeper
topic::none type::role type::value
Jaroslav Drobny
Jaroslav_Drobný
gender::male iptc::15000000 sport::20001065 topic::sport type::entity type::person type::sport_player
Author: Jefferson Chase Editor: Chuck Penfold
topic::none type::footer type::other
Germany
France
Brazil
Serbia
Switzerland
Poland
Spain
United_Kingdom