With the transfers of Aljaz Casar and Lex-Tyger Lobinger, MSV Duisburg has made a statement. The competition in the 3rd league promotion race has been warned.

The Zebras had to dig deep into their pockets for the two big-name winter signings, but hopes of a return to the 2nd Bundesliga have risen once again with the recent arrival of Aljaz Casar (from Dresden) and Lex-Tyger Lobinger (from Viktoria Cologne) at the winter training camp in Belek. The Zebras have made a statement – and sent a clear message to the top teams in the league. It’s clear: MSV means business. You don’t sign second division-level players to end up settling for 45 points. Anyone who makes targeted additions at this stage of the season is no longer thinking defensively. Despite some inconsistent results at the end of the first half of the season, MSV continues to be among the top teams thanks to its dream start to the season and stable foundation over the past few months. This is an opportunity that Wedau clearly wants to take advantage of. Even in the regional league, the club lacked a classic goal scorer who could make the difference and shoot the club back into the third division on his own. No one wanted to – or could – afford to continue relying exclusively on the accuracy of midfielders Conor Noß or Patrick Sussek.

Finally a goal scorer? – Which strikers are now in trouble?

Lobinger is the type of striker that MSV has been missing so far: one who can hold up high and long balls, win tackles, pose a goal threat and has a killer instinct in front of goal. Presence, size, power, mentality. A deliberately chosen profile for the long-missed center forward.

This inevitably means that other attackers will find themselves in a tight spot. Thilo Töpken, Tim Heike, and Florian Krüger have not been able to deliver the hoped-for goal ratio so far. Even the young Dutchman Andy Visser, who could benefit from a loan, is now under increased scrutiny. Height, playing system, coordination – too often, there have been complaints that the strikers were not optimally integrated into Dietmar Hirsch’s previous system. But the fact is that, in the end, strikers are simply measured by their goals. The transfers made so far speak for the persuasive work of the sporting management team led by Chris Schmoldt. Managing director Michael Preetz has made them possible with his economically sound work – something that was not always as self-evident at Wedau as it is now. But anyone who is still talking exclusively about staying in the league is misjudging the reality. As was the case last winter, the weak points have been specifically addressed. In line with the return of long-term injured players, the recently sluggish offense could suddenly be revitalized with a lot of quality.

A march through the league is not out of the question. Even if it doesn’t happen right away, the foundation for the new season has already been laid. After all, euphoria and pressure to perform are always part of the picture in Duisburg. The decisive factor will be how MSV gets off the mark – and whether the new signings live up to the high expectations.

The first step has been taken. However, the 2023/24 relegation season showed that, despite early praise, things can quickly go in the other direction. Daniel Ginczek once arrived as a source of hope – and ended up becoming a symbol of decline. That is precisely why the motto now is: courage yes – complacency no.