New-look VfB set for start of training

On Thursday morning, head coach Sebastian Hoeneß will welcome his players to the training pitch in Bad Cannstatt for the first training session after the summer break. Due to the EURO 2024 match between Germany and Spain in Stuttgart on 5 July, this year’s opening training session must take place without spectators.

Fans can still watch the session, though: the start of pre-season will be broadcast live on VfB-TV and the VfB YouTube channel.

New in white and red

The group will include new signings Justin Diehl, Jeff Chabot, Yannik Keitel, Nick Woltemade, Stefan Drljaca, Ramon Hendriks, and Frans Krätzig. Swiss duo Fabian Rieder (on loan from Rennes) and Leonidas Stergiou (signed permanently after loan) will join up with the team after the EURO and their subsequent holiday.

There’ll also be some returning players on the pitch in Thomas Kastanaras (SSV Ulm), Wahid Faghir (SV Elversberg), Mo Sankoh (Heracles Almelo) and Ömer Beyaz (Hatayspor), who are all back in Stuttgart after their respective loan spells. Luca Pfeiffer, who was on loan at Darmstadt 98 last season, is in rehab following a metatarsal fracture.

Internationals not yet involved

Hoeneß will initially be without Enzo Millot, who is preparing for the Olympic Games in Paris with the French team. Serhou Guirassy and Alexander Nübel, who were both involved with their countries following the end of the domestic season, are still on holiday until 15 July, while those players taking part in the EURO will also return at a later date.

New faces on staff

There are also some new additions to the staff for the new season. As well as Florian Mohr (performance manager) and André Filipovic (conditioning coach), new physios Michael Schuhmacher and Gregor Ludwig will be supporting Hoeneß’s team.