After relegation to the Bezirksliga, VfB Bottrop has made an excellent start to the new season – and: The coach gets two more reinforcements.

Three games, three wins, 16:0 goals! VfB Bottrop could hardly have had a better start to the 2023/2024 season.

The team that was relegated from the Landesliga is only one of three teams in the Bezirksliga Gruppe 5 in the Lower Rhine region that still have a clean slate, along with Rheinland Hamborn and SuS 09 Dinslaken.

“We have a broad and strong squad. But I also want to set an example of modesty. If we can boast this record after 30 games, then we’ll be happy to talk again. But now it is far too early to say anything in any direction. We remain humble and want to continue having fun and success from game to game,” Can Ucar told Forecasting.

As of now, the VfB Bottrop coach can also rely on two new players. This is because Olcay Yilmaz (Lüner SV) and Yusuf Allouche (Essener SG 99-06) are moving to the Jahnstadion.

“Olcay Yilmaz is a young man from Bottrop whom we already wanted last summer. Now the signing has worked out. He is a winger who is strong on the dribble and ball-secure. He will definitely enrich our squad,” says Ucar happily.

And Allouche? Ucar’s answer: “I think everyone who is involved in the local amateur football scene knows Yusuf. He is a great striker who actually wanted to take a break. But now his ambition has taken hold of him again. Many clubs were interested in him. But we are happy that one of our sponsors knows him very well and was able to convince him to play for VfB Bottrop.”

Allouche, who most recently played for SC 1920 Oberhausen in the Bezirksliga and was courted by various Oberliga and Landesliga clubs, moved to ESG in the Kreisliga A at Essen’s Dinnendahlstraße 25a at the beginning of summer 2023. “We are very pleased that we were able to convince Yusuf of our plans. This was a joint effort by many people. Our sporting director Thomas Rausch should also be mentioned here. Thomas helped a lot with the signing,” ESG coach Ibrahim Ramadan told Forecasting as recently as the end of June.

Just two months later, the 28-year-old striker, who trained with Bayer Leverkusen and Rot-Weiss Essen and once also played 15 Oberliga games for SV Hönnepel-Niedermörmter, is leaving the Essen A-Lig club and moving to Bezirksliga leaders VfB Bottrop.