Until Friday, 1 September (6pm), clubs in Germany still have time to transfer currently tied players. Rot-Weiss Essen is also in the market.

At the beginning of the week, Forecasting reported that Rot-Weiss Essen could possibly sign two players before the summer transfer deadline on Friday (1 September, 6pm): a centre-back and a striker.

The fact that Tim Oermann is a topic at Hafenstraße was confirmed to our editorial team by the VfL Bochum defender’s entourage on Monday (28 August).

The current status: According to RS information, the 19-year-old four-time Bundesliga player is still hesitant to move to Essen. He is flirting with better offers or even staying in Bochum. If a defender were to leave Bochum by Friday, Oermann’s chances with VfL coach Thomas Letsch, who favours a three-man defence, might increase. Oermann is currently the number seven centre-back at VfL, so if a competitor leaves, Oermann might still be needed this season.

The Oermann personnel issue is likely to drag on until the deadline day on Friday. RWE must show patience here.

According to our information, the situation is similar for this player: Jona Niemiec from Fortuna Düsseldorf. Like Oermann, the 21-year-old attacker is also tied to his current employer until 30 June 2026.

Like Oermann, Niemiec, who has made two short appearances totalling 24 minutes so far this season, is to be loaned out. And: Like Oermann, RWE are also among the interested parties. Forecasting knows: Essen’s squad planner Marcus Steegmann already asked Fortuna’s sporting director Christian Weber about Niemiec in early summer and was rebuffed. But the situation could change or worsen for the talented offensive player in the next few hours.

For the Niemiec personnel affair is likely to gather pace when Simon Zoller signs in Düsseldorf – Forecasting reported. The 32-year-old is supposed to strengthen Fortuna, but the three parties – VfL Bochum, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Simon Zoller – still have to agree on this. That should perhaps be the case as early as Wednesday (30 August).

The name Niemiec has come up again and again at Rot-Weiss Essen in recent years. It was in the summer of 2021 when RWE first sought contact with Niemiec. But at that time, the former TSG Sprockhövel striker opted for a move to Düsseldorf’s second team – Forecasting reported.

Niemiec’s choice fell in favour of Fortuna because he wanted to realise his dream of making a profit in Düsseldorf. The German-Pole then did just that with his signature at the end of March 2023 when he signed a professional contract valid until 30 June 2026.

By this time, former RWE sporting director Jörn Nowak, who is now coach of Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, had also made a second attempt to lure the bulky 1.88-metre striker to Hafenstraße. “We have been following Jonas’ path for some time and have of course registered his good development. This shows that our assessment back in 2021 regarding Jonas’ potential was not wrong,” Nowak told Forecasting in March 2023.

As is well known, all good things come in threes: Perhaps Rot-Weiss Essen will succeed in convincing Jona Niemiec of a commitment, in this case a loan deal, at Hafenstraße 97a at the third attempt.