Virkus: “We prepared for this scenario”
Director of sport Roland Virkus spoke in an interview about the transfer of Jonas Hofmann to Bayer 04 Leverkusen and the further steps surrounding squad planning for the upcoming season.
Roland, Jonas Hofmann decided to activate his release clause and leave Borussia Mönchengladbach for Bayern 04 Leverkusen for the upcoming season. How did you take this decision?
Roland Virkus: Jonas’ decision to leave Borussia is of course a great shame for us. When he extended his contract, which was due to expire this year, to 2025 last summer, it was a clear condition of Jonas and his management that we include a release clause. Although these are not ideal for the club, we complied with the request. We wanted to keep an important player at Borussia in a period that was not easy and at the same time prevent another free transfer this summer.
What has the conversation been like with Jonas in the last few days?
Virkus: We were in constant contact with Jonas and fought to keep him at Borussia. We showed him the role he could play in our new system and tried to extend his contract again with new conditions. The talks were very open and in the end we made an offer that met all the conditions Jonas had set. The fact that he nevertheless decided to activate the release clause doesn’t leave a good feeling. We still have to respect this decision and thank Jonas for his commitment and his achievements at Borussia.
The transfer means there is now another position to think about in the squad planning.
Virkus: This scenario was perhaps not very likely and we didn’t want it either, because Jonas has developed into a top player for us over the past seven and a half years and has also become one of the faces of the club off the pitch. Nevertheless, we had this scenario in mind and prepared ourselves accordingly in the squad planning. It is our job to plan for such developments with foresight and hold talks in advance. We have prepared options that can be implemented soon. Now it is a matter of focusing on these.