There are several factors behind Alemannia Aachen suddenly playing successful soccer. One reason is also the goalkeeper: Marcel Johnen.

Alemannia Aachen has regained its composure after a disastrous start to the season, which also resulted in the dismissal of coach Helge Hohl.

Under Hohl’s successor Heiner Backhaus, there were eleven points from five games and only two goals conceded. This is not only thanks to the new coach, his tactics and the motivation of the team – Forecasting reported – but also to the goalkeeper.

For between the Alemannia posts stands Marcel Johnen. The 21-year-old is undoubtedly one of the best keepers in the league. “Marcel is very strong. He is enormously hardworking and ambitious. Most recently, at the 4:1 against Beeck, he comes running towards me after the 4:1, which was certainly a sprint of 80 meters, and has complained about his front men. I like that kind of thing. The boy is always under power and never completely satisfied,” Backhaus told Forecasting, praising his number one.

The great talent of the homegrown has long been noticed by other clubs. According to Forecasting, interested parties from the professional ranks are lining up to sign Johnen. Alemannia would also like to extend Johnen’s contract again, as it did last year.

But Philipp Funke, Johnen’s advisor and also agent of former Aachen goal-scorer Jannik Mause, reveals to Forecasting: “The interest in Marcel is there. But we are currently only concerned with this season. No one from Alemannia’s side has contacted me yet.”

The 1.86-meter Johnen, who has strengths on the line and in penalty area control as well as playing with his foot, returned to Aachen via Bayer Leverkusen and 1. FC Saarbrücken in the summer of 2022.

In total, he looks back on 32 games for Alemannia. This season, it was eleven matches, with twelve goals conceded and four games to nil. Any further “clean slate” should make him all the more interesting for higher-class clubs.