Kicker reports that Mainz 05 are considering signing Borussia Mönchengladbach centre-back Marvin Friedrich. The 30-year-old once spent four seasons working under Fischer at 1. FC Union Berlin in both the 2. Bundesliga and Bundesliga. Friedrich barely features for his current Bundesliga club anymore, sits on an expiring contract, and possesses an estimated market value of just €1.2m.
Mainz presently sit in dead last place in the Bundesliga table. The fact that Fischer’s team were unable to hold onto a two-goal-lead during their away fixture at Union this weekend highlights the need for urgent help in the defensive corps. Kicker notes that Mainz are hoping to acquire Friedrich on-the-cheap, potentially emulating the very same six-figure-model they used to acquire Stuttgart attacker Silas just a few days ago.
What is Marvin Friedrich’s story?
Under Fischer, Friedrich enjoyed the most successful years of his career. The Kassel-native made 129 competitive appearances whilst working with Fischer at Union. Between 2018 and 2022, Friedrich pumped his estimated market value up from €600,000 to €10m. During the January 2022 transfer window, it counted as big news when Friedrich switched to Gladbach on a €5.5m deal.
Firedrich nevertheless encountered great difficulty permanently establishing himself under BMG head coach Daniel Farke the following season. Friedrich drifted in and out of the starting lineup and was even benched for a famous 11 consecutive matches under Farke during the 2022/23 season. Matters didn’t improve much under Gerardo Seoane the following year until injuries leant Friedrich regular starts near the end of the season.
The same problems repeated themselves again under Seoane in the subsequent season. In point of fact, there wasn’t a season during which a story about Friedrich complaining about his playing time didn’t crop up. This year, Friedrich has only made one start through 16 Bundesliga rounds. He’s effectively counted as an expendable for many years.
Will the transfer go through?
Based on what Bundesliga reporters observed with the Silas purchase, it seems likely that Mainz will push to acquire Friedrich for almost nothing. It should be noted that previous reports of Mainz reuniting former Union striker Taiwo Awoniyi proved false, but that’s likely because the current Nottingham Forest striker was too expensive.
In any event, having already spent €4m on Augsburg striker Phillip Tietz, it doesn’t look as if Mainz will make any more major purchases during the current January transfer window. Despite the fact that Mainz are still operating on a transfer surplus from the summer, the Rheinhessen must gird themselves for a potential return to the 2. Bundesliga.
