Rot Weiss Ahlen has been relegated from the Regionalliga. There are signs of a change. One attacking player will definitely leave the club.

After promotion in 2020, Rot Weiss Ahlen now have to return to the Oberliga Westfalen four years later. The former second division team finished the Regionalliga West season in last place in the table with 25 points. This season, the Regionalliga was simply too big for Ahlen.

The club tried a few things in the winter and made several transfers. One of these was Nazzareno Ciccarelli. He moved to the Werse at the end of January from future regional league side Türkspor Dortmund, where he was directly involved in ten goals in the first half of the season. Although the German-Italian developed into a regular there, he was unable to prevent relegation to the Oberliga.

“There are many unfortunate reasons for relegation. Very often, we simply lacked the necessary luck to pick up the important points. Every footballer who knows the relegation battle knows that it’s a very complicated situation,” summarizes Roland Kapinga, Ciccarelli’s advisor, in the Forecasting interview.

While his protégé promptly scored his first goal on his second appearance for Ahlen, he then only managed one assist until the end of the season. However, this was also due to the fact that he missed two games due to a flu-like infection. Kapinga looks back:

“In a relegation battle, other virtues are required, such as fight and willingness to run, or fundamentally different player characters. However, Nazzareno has learned a lot from this season. But it’s also clear that he played in very strong teams in Erfurt and at Türkspor. We therefore hope that we will see him again next season in a strong team. Because Nazzareno stands for goals and assists. The impressive figures of the last three years show that.”

The 27-year-old number ten was involved in a total of 15 goals (7 goals, 8 assists) in 29 Regionalliga games for Rot-Weiß Erfurt in the 2022/23 season. There he proved that he can also be an important player in the fourth-highest division.

This is another reason why Ciccarelli is not interested in staying at Ahlen. His advisor confirmed this when asked by RS: “There have been no talks so far, neither with Mr. Özkara nor with Mr. Joppe. However, we have ruled out the possibility of Reno remaining in the Oberliga. Reno has nevertheless felt very comfortable in Ahlen. “

We can imagine him staying in the West, but he is interested in returning to the East or the Regionalliga Südwest. There have already been inquiries, which we are exploring together.

Roland Kapinga

However, it has not yet been decided where the attacking player, who was born in Herne, will move to. The clear goal is still the regional league. “We are in talks with a number of regional clubs, but have not yet made a decision. He has a great hunger to make his mark on the game. At this level, the youngster is capable of scoring at least ten goals every season. You have a guarantee if you give him freedom in the final third. We can imagine him staying in the west, but he is tempted by a return to the east or even the Regionalliga Südwest. There have already been inquiries, which we are exploring together,” explains Kapinga.