According to media reports, sports director Marcus Mann is set to leave Hannover 96. In addition, the Lower Saxony club will have to do without two attackers on Saturday against VfL Bochum.
At second division club Hannover 96, VfL Bochum’s next opponent, the departure of sporting director Marcus Mann is reportedly imminent. According to the “Bild” newspaper, Austrian club RB Salzburg is making an intensive effort to sign the Lower Saxony sporting director.
Talks are already underway, as 96 boss Martin Kind confirmed to “Bild.” “RB Salzburg has made an official and concrete approach. They want Marcus Mann. (…) Marcus Mann is interested, and we don’t want to hinder his career and development. But if that starts two years later, that would of course be okay with us too. We will always treat everything with goodwill, but we will not allow ourselves to be pressured in terms of time. Without an alternative, there is no solution,” said the 81-year-old.
Talks with the 41-year-old are said to be at an advanced stage and could be concluded quickly. Most recently, the “Kurier” reported that Kind is negotiating a transfer fee for Mann with Red Bull boss Oliver Mintzlaff and RB soccer chief Jürgen Klopp. The contract of the 96 sports director, which does not contain an exit clause, is valid until 2029.
Mann has been with Hannover since the summer of 2021. Initially hired as sporting director, he was promoted to managing director of sports in March of this year. VfL Wolfsburg was also rumored to be interested in Mann, but the struggling Bundesliga club was turned down.
Two offensive players out for the first half of the season
Both in the league match against VfL Bochum this Saturday (December 13, 8:30 p.m.) and in the last match before the winter break at 1. FC Nürnberg (December 21, 1:30 p.m.), the fifth-placed team will have to do without Mustapha Bundu and Husseyn Chakroun due to injury. Right winger Bundu, who has played his way into coach Christian Titz’s starting lineup in recent weeks, suffered a medial ligament injury in last weekend’s 2-2 draw in Münster and will therefore miss the last two games of the first half of the season.
Husseyn Chakroun will also not be on the pitch again this year. The 21-year-old attacker had to be substituted after just 25 minutes in Münster because he felt muscle problems in his thigh after a tackle. Detailed examinations confirmed the suspicion of a structural muscle-tendon injury in his left thigh. This will result in “several weeks” of downtime, according to 96.
