RWE transfer target – “For me, there’s no question of letting Max go”

SSV Ulm 1846 is facing an important home game against SV Wehen Wiesbaden. If coach Pavel Dotchev has his way, Max Brandt will be on board – and not at Rot-Weiss Essen.

Less than a month ago, SSV Ulm 1846 played Rot-Weiss Essen. On December 20, 2025, the Spatzen lost 2-3 at Hafenstraße – without Max Brandt, mind you.

After the central midfielder had played in all 18 third division games from the start, he had to watch from the sidelines at RWE due to a yellow card suspension. It is somewhat ironic that he has now become the focus of Essen’s attention. On Saturday, January 17, at 2 p.m., RWE will face TSV 1860 Munich. It is a clash between the fourth-placed team and the bottom team in the table. A win would see the Lions close in on Essen. But it is not only RWE that has an important game ahead of it. At the same time, SSV Ulm 1846 will host Wehen Wiesbaden at home. A strong team whose coach, Nils Döring, left no doubt about his promotion ambitions when he was introduced. Will Max Brandt be back on the Ulm side? SSV coach Pavel Dotchev left no doubt at the press conference ahead of the game that he is counting on his long-time stalwart in central midfield. “As coach, I can only say that I am aware of this story. After all, it’s everywhere. But I’m not concerned with it. Max still has six months left on his contract. For me, it’s out of the question to let Max go. That’s why I’m not concerned with it at all. Max is with us, Max is our player. I’m planning with him. That’s all.”

Interestingly, SSV Ulm had offered Max Brandt for sale on the well-known platform “TransferRoom” for €150,000. So the initial impulse did not come from Essen. Are Dotchev’s statements just price gouging, or is there more to it than RWE would like?

Points Table

Background: RWE is looking for a successor to Tom Moustier, who is keen to leave the club. The midfielder is drawn to the Portuguese first division, where he wants to prove himself at CF Estrela de Amadora. According to the “WAZ” newspaper, Moustier has not been training with the Essen team recently, but has been keeping fit on his own.

According to information obtained by this editorial team, however, he was not injured, but was no longer 100 percent focused. Negotiations between the clubs are ongoing. Torben Müsel and Gianluca Swajkowski are likely to start in the double six position in the promotion showdown at TSV 1860 Munich this weekend.