In a tiny village in southwestern Germany, something special is happening as SV Elversberg prepares to kick off their maiden Bundesliga voyage. While the club may be new to Germany's top flight after securing promotion from the 2. Bundesliga, the club are no strangers to preparing both players and staff for Germany's Bundesliga and beyond.
Nick Woltemade broke out at the club before going to Stuttgart en route to Newcastle United, and Hoffenheim striker Fisnik Asllani also came into his own at the club, while talented Bayern Munich youngster Paul Wanner spent time at the club on loan. They've also sent managers to other clubs, such as Horst Steffen, who went to Werder Bremen after leading the club to successive promotions. But rebuilding is something that the club is used to, and they've done it quite well, be it replacing loan players to prepare for a new season or retooling in general.
Now that job is a bit easier in the top flight, their Technical Director, Josef Welzmüller, thinks. "I think this year it's even easier because we can offer them to play in the Bundesliga, you know? It was a bit more difficult in the 2.
Bundesliga, but this year it's quite easy, you know. We can't offer high wages, but we can really offer a good development pathway for the player," Welzmüller says. Elversberg have continued their mode of operation by adding talented young players such as Francis Onyeka on loan, but there are a few permanent additions that the club has made too, including a new record signing in American winger Cole Campbell.
Splitting last season between Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim, the 20-year-old winger is expected to be a key member of the squad, signing a four-year contract. Despite his age, he's someone who has spent the last three seasons around the Bundesliga between Dortmund's youth side and the senior squad, which will be valuable experience for the Bundesliga debutants. "[Cole] was our record signing, which probably shows how much we believe in Cole.
He's very strong with the ball, very strong in one-on-one situations," Welzmüller said. "And to be honest, I spent quite some time with him now, and he's a very good kid, a very good character. We just want him to go into one-on-one situations and solve spaces for us.
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