FINALLY the poker for the Storm Jewel is picking up speed!
Fortuna Düsseldorf’s storm jewel Jona Niemiec (21) ran under the radar for a long time. The Bubi does not yet have a professional contract. Those responsible missed out on a bargain and could have provided him with a contract long ago – when he wasn’t so blossoming.
Fortuna simply missed the extra time and is now trying everything to tie the youngster.
video-heading">Well equipped Look what the referee pulls out of his breast pocket
BILD learned: Fortuna has submitted an initial contract offer to Niemiec, with a term until 2026. Those responsible for manager Klaus Allofs (66) and sports director Christian Weber (39) absolutely want to keep the jewel. Weber recently confirmed this when asked by BILD: “We want to bind him quickly for the long term – that’s no secret. We proclaim that we have permeability and want to give guys from our own stable chances. We actually did that this year. We want Jonah to stay with us.”
BILD knows: On Monday there was the first conversation about a professional contract. Now the bosses followed suit. A final decision should be made by the end of March.
Niemiec has experienced a meteoric rise in the past three weeks. He made his professional debut in the round of 16, but was the only one to miss on penalties. The striker scored his first professional goal against Braunschweig (3-1) last Friday. Niemiec should gain professional experience by the end of the season – to become the successor to top striker Dawid Kownacki (25) from the summer.
But his achievements have not gone unnoticed by other clubs either. The youngster has attracted interest from league rivals and teams from the Dutch Eredivisie.
Will Niemiec punish the snoring Fortuna and reject a new Düsseldorf contract? The poker is on – and the outcome of the race is open.
Niemiec has all the cards in his hand. He feels very comfortable and would like to start at Fortuna. To do this, he demands perspectives, deployment time and individual support. He got the latter on Wednesday when goalkeeping coach Christoph Semmler (43) took him aside and did individual goal-shooting and flank training with him.
Germany’s Fortunas schnellster
Speaking of getting started: Nobody is as fast as Niemiec. He set his top speed (36.4 km/h) in the regional league against Gladbach’s U23. He is even faster than Tim Oberdorf (26), who holds the best value (34.17 km/h) in the second division squad. Weber praises the striker in the highest tones: “Jona always gives us speed and depth. He knows how to use his weapons. He does that really well.”
Now the bosses want to get down to business at least as quickly…
