VfL keeper Niclas Thiede has yet to make a professional appearance. He hopes that will change in the new season.

Goalkeeper Niclas Thiede moved from third-division club SC Verl to VfL Bochum in the summer of 2023. He is still waiting for his first appearance in the Bundesliga. He signed a contract until 2027 – a lot will happen in the VfL goal in the new season. We spoke to him about the last year and his expectations for the new season.

Niclas Thiede, you are currently on vacation in Fuerteventura, why did you choose this destination?

We bought a house here with our family last year. We’ve been using it as our vacation destination ever since. I’m currently here with my best friend and the family will be joining us in the next few weeks. That will certainly be the case again and again over the next few years. Previously, I always chose Austria as my destination because I like being in the mountains.

With a little distance: How do you think back to the relegation matches against Fortuna Düsseldorf?

That was an emotional up and down. Of course, I can’t absolve myself of the fact that I thought it was going to be very, very, very difficult after the 3-0 loss in the first game. The last spark of hope was there, after we made it, there were incredible emotions that I have never experienced before.

You were very ambitious when you moved from SC Verl to VfL in the summer, so was the course of the season sobering for you personally?

I am always very ambitious in what I do. I moved to Bochum to leave my mark here too. The fact that I didn’t manage that last season is also due to the fact that I had one or two injuries. So it was very sobering. Nevertheless, I was able to show that I was rightly brought in. I’m building on that. My goal for the new season is to consolidate my position and show that it wasn’t a mistake to bring me in.

You also had to miss a few weeks through injury. Did the injury come at the wrong time?

There’s never a good time for an injury. But the week it happened was really bad. I’ve now recovered and I’m moving on.

Now the cards are being reshuffled in the goalkeeper position. Andreas Luthe and Michael Esser are ending their careers, Manuel Riemann is unlikely to stay. Will that be your chance?

Whether Manuel will be back or whether a new goalkeeper comes in doesn’t matter to me. I want to show my performance and then the coach decides who plays. There’s always a chance in the preparation, the cards are reshuffled here. In the end, whoever the coach feels is the right one will play.

VfL now has a new coach. What do you already know about him?

I’ve done a bit of research, I’ve seen the presentation. But I haven’t met him in person yet.

How do you plan to spend your vacation so that you’re fit for the start of preparations in Bochum?

At the moment, the focus is still on having fun. The runs will start again next week, and at the moment we’re mostly playing a bit of soccer tennis on the beach. But we’re also relaxing to give our bodies a break. cb / gp