Alemannia Aachen are planning the squad for the 3rd division in the background. There are already 26 players under contract as of July 1, 2024 – quite a problem for those responsible.

Alemannia Aachen marched through the Regionalliga West and were promoted to the 3rd division with a whopping twelve-point lead over their closest rivals 1. FC Bocholt.

The Alemanni’s recipe for success: Aachen took all their players with them before the season even started. True to the motto: If we achieve our goal of promotion, all players will benefit.

And now that has happened. As of May 21, 2024, Aachen currently have 26 players under contract from July 1, 2024. The reason: almost every contract has been extended by a further year following promotion.

“But it should be clear to everyone that we can’t and don’t want to go into the 3rd division with all our players. In the end, we want to go into the season with 25 outfield players and three goalkeepers,” Erdal Celik, Technical Director, emphasized to Forecasting.

According to our information, Marc Brasnic, Kilian Pagliuca, Vincent Schaub and Beyhan Ametov, for example, no longer play a sporting role despite having valid contracts. Cas Peters – contract until June 30, 2026 – is set to continue scoring goals for FSV Frankfurt

And as far as sponsors are concerned, it’s also really pleasing. People are contacting us to help Alemannia take the next step. Because everyone here knows that the sky’s the limit at a club like Alemannia Aachen.

Erdal Celik

The Alemannia problem: The players who no longer play a role have valid contracts and, according to our information, better paid contracts than in the Regionalliga after promotion. So it remains to be seen who Alemannia will ultimately be able to remove from the payroll.

After the three signings so far, Charlison Benschop (Wuppertaler SV), Soufian El-Faouzi (Fortuna Düsseldorf II) and Felix Meyer (BFC Dynamo), Celik emphasizes: “We will only continue to sign players if we make room in the squad. However, we are all aware that we need further reinforcements for the 3rd division.”

Fresh money would also do the newcomers to the 3rd division good in this case. And Aachen want to earn some extra money on Saturday at the Sportpark Höhenberg in Cologne. They will then face Bonner SC in the Middle Rhine Cup final. “Of course it’s a very important game. On the one hand, we want to celebrate the double and on the other, soccer is always about financial matters. Participating in the DFB Cup would suit us very well – both in sporting and financial terms,” says Celik.

Keyword profitability: In the meantime, those responsible around supervisory board member Marcel Moberz and managing director Sascha Eller as well as the sporting management Erdal Celik and successful coach Heiner Backhaus have done such a great job that not only consultants and their players but also sponsors are proactively approaching Alemannia.

Celik reveals: “Yes, it’s all gigantic. The euphoria surrounding Alemannia is huge. We are being offered a lot of players who want to join us. We really have to take a close look. We only want to sign good characters. Our discussions are very much about the person and not just the athlete. And as far as sponsors are concerned, it’s also very pleasing. People are contacting us to help Alemannia take the next step. Because everyone here knows that the sky’s the limit at a club like Alemannia Aachen.”

As a reminder: In the 2004/2005 season, Alemannia Aachen played in the European Cup as a second division team and DFB Cup finalist and was also in the 1st Bundesliga for a series in the 2006/2007 season. Until 2013/2014, they were in the Regionalliga and after ten years, the sleeping giant Alemannia Aachen returned to the 3rd division