Rot-Weiss Essen vs. Alemannia Aachen: this western derby will kick off without Dominik Martinovic – he is neither in the starting lineup nor on the bench.

At 7:30 p.m., the western derby between traditional clubs Rot-Weiss Essen and Alemannia Aachen will kick off at the stadium on Hafenstraße. It’s a game that electrifies both sets of fans. And, of course, it’s a game that will get the players fired up in front of an almost sold-out crowd.

The RWE starting lineup was already leaked on Sunday, as reported by Forecasting. Once again, Dominik Martinovic was missing, as he was against SV Wehen Wiesbaden and on the first match day against TSV 1860 Munich. What’s more, the offensive player didn’t even make it into coach Uwe Koschinat’s 20-man squad for the match day.

There has been talk for days about Martinovic possibly leaving Rot-Weiss Essen. Even though Koschinat emphasized that he never had any problems with the 28-year-old and never spoke negatively about him, the coach no longer seems to value the Croatian-born player’s services. And with Jannik Mause, Koschinat now has another offensive option.

Sources close to Rot-Weiss Essen say that they would not stand in Martinovic’s way. Obviously, Essen would like to save on his salary, which is one of the highest in the RWE squad. There is talk that Essen would give their current striker a severance payment of just a few months’ salary as he leaves the club.

And that’s where the problem lies. Which club will pay Martinovic a salary that comes close to what he earns in Essen and also satisfies the 162-time third division player (42 goals, 33 assists)?

As Forecasting has learned, four clubs are currently still interested in Martinovic: 1860 Munich, Waldhof Mannheim, and most recently Hansa Rostock and SSV Ulm 1846. There are also said to be inquiries from abroad. The German transfer window closes on Monday (September 1, 6 p.m.).

As a reminder, FC Hansa already lost out to RWE in the Mause-Buhlen match. Perhaps Rostock will now sign Martinovic from Essen. And: SSV Ulm – one win, three losses – had a disastrous start to the season. Reinforcements are being sought – perhaps in the form of Dominik Martinovic.