Brighton and Hove Albion manager Fabian Hürzeler has admitted he has spoken to both Deniz Undav and Pascal Groß about their futures but does not know if either or both will be leaving this summer.
The Brighton manager has been speaking to BILD in Germany as he prepares for what is likely to be a busy summer in charge of the Seagulls.
The German has now officially replaced Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton after a long-protracted negotiation with St. Pauli over him after Brighton targeted the 31-year-old to replace Roberto de Zerbi.
Attention now turns to shaping the squad to suit him, with Brighton expected to be busy in the window after a record year in terms of profits.
The club have already secured two big arrivals in the form of Yankuba Minteh, who has arrived from Newcastle in a €35m deal, and Ibrahim Osman, whose €19.5m move from Nordsjaelland, which was agreed earlier this year, has now been completed.
Rather than more incomings, though, the focus is on potential departures, with Undav keen to seal a permanent move to VfB Stuttgart after a successful loan spell there last season and Groß linked with a return to Germany, with several sides keen on him.
Reports have made it clear that Hürzeler is not particularly keen on losing either player and he’s reiterated that stance.
“I expressed my maximum appreciation to Deniz very clearly, several times,” he said.
“I believe this appreciation is mutual. He knows my exact plan as I see it and plan with him. But I don’t know how it will ultimately turn out. The clubs have to clarify that. The fact is: he belongs to Brighton. He also deals with topics other than sports.”
“I also spoke to Pascal,” he added.
“He is a person who is incredibly interested in football and could one day become a coach: he implements the things that are required very quickly. But I can’t comment on what happens next – simply because I don’t know.”
