In the last post, I casually mentioned that the Under-19 squad of 1. FC Magdeburg won promotion to the A-Jugend-Bundesliga, the top flight for teams of that age group. As usual in the youth teams, there is a more or less high degree of fluctuation, as players naturally age.
It is therefore especially annoying when a player leaves who can still play in the side for another year. In the case of the FCM U19 squad, ten players have left at then end of the season, seven of which could still have played in U19 for another year. Three of those players, including the captain, leave for RB Leipzig, the German „project“ of Austria’s Red Bull company, the modus operandi of which is well-known: Money, money, money, and everything must happen quickly. In the case of these three players, maybe one must be lenient with FCM management, seeing as how they just cannot compete with the amounts of cash RBL has available. But when six players leave without having a new club or to fellow Bundesliga side Carl Zeiss Jena who do not exactly possess mountains of cash, the question as to the cause of this exodus must be raised.
Another player has already told the club he is leaving, but the youth center manager claims there is still a chance for his staying. Don’t hold your breath.
It is not understandable how the management expect to save the squad from relegation, if they let go such a large number of players. On the other hand, this fits in well with the incompetence that you get used to when following 1. FC Magdeburg.
In other news, the senior squad won a first test yesterday, beating Askania Ballenstedt, an eighth-tier side, 15-0.