Former FC Nuremberg director of football Olaf Rebbe has shared his delight at the deal he got from Brighton and Hove Albion for striker Stefanos Tzimas.
SportBILD cover the player and Nuremberg’s transfer business in recent years, which has put them along the elite despite being in the 2. Bundesliga.
They explain that while the German side may only been ‘average’ in Germany’s second flight, their transfer policy is causing a stir beyond their borders.
First, they signed Miroslav Klose as manager last summer and now they’ve set a second division record the January transfer window, spending €54m on transfer fees but brining in €35m.
No club from the 2. Bundesliga has ever made more money and in a global comparison they sit 13th for profit. Tzimas was key to that as his move to Brighton saw €43m turned over across expenditure plus income.
“Many people laughed at us last summer for the purchase option for Stefanos,” explained Rebbe.
“We knew that we were facing a big challenge and can now be very proud that we have actually made a transfer of this magnitude possible. The club has also gained relevance beyond Germany’s borders as a result.”
Rebbe knew Tzimas from his time at PAOL Saloniki and while he accepted, they could not pay €18m to sign him permanently, was confident the striker had a market in England.
That proved to be accurate as Brighton came to pay €25m for the striker, with an addition €3m in bonus payments according to Sport BILD’s information. That meant an immediate profit for Nuremberg and justification for Rebbe.
He’s certainly pleased with the work he did and the fact that nobody is laughing now after Brighton paid up and made his gamble pay off.
