For former youth players who left FCZ on a free transfer, there's no going back under the Canepas. In other words: Like Cédric Brunner, Becir Omeragic will never wear the FCZ shirt again. Atalanta star Berat Djimsiti, however, would be welcome, even though he did not bring in a transfer fee in 2016.
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- FCZ have landed a transfer coup with the signing of Steven Zuber. Despite his GC past, the Canepas have no qualms about signing him.
- It was a completely different story with Cédric Brunner, who would have liked to return to FCZ after his stint in the Bundesliga. But the doors remain closed to him forever.
- The reason: the Canepas do not bring back any player who has left FCZ on a free transfer. This also applies to national team player Becir Omeragic.
- For Nico Elvedi, Simon Sohm, Kevin Rüegg or Ricardo Rodriguez, however, the doors would not be closed, as FCZ once paid a transfer fee for them.
Defender Cédric Brunner has been without a club since last summer and the end of his contract with Schalke 04. In December, he revealed in the "Tages Anzeiger" that he would have liked to return to FCZ. He and his advisor had even approached his training club themselves. There was zero interest. The reason: Brunner left FCZ on a free transfer in the summer of 2018, so the door is closed.
This should come as no surprise. After all, FCZ owners Ancillo and Heliane Canepa have been doing this for years. For anyone who may have forgotten, Canepa vehemently emphasized this once again during his first media appearance in 2025. "For players we have trained and who have left the club on a free transfer, there is no going back. That was true yesterday, it's true today and it will be true tomorrow."
Mariani and Domgjoni also left on a free transfer
Maybe in 20 years' time, when he and Heliane are no longer there, he adds. His wife interrupts: "Yes, yes, we'll still be here."
Canepa accuses players who leave their training club on a free transfer of lacking character. It costs a lot of money to train a footballer, he says, and it is unacceptable for the club to come away empty-handed and for players and advisors to receive additional hand money as a result.
So the door is closed for Brunner at FCZ. If the Canepas have their way, other long-standing FCZ players will also no longer be seen in FCZ kit. These include Toni Domgjoni (26), currently without a club and most recently with Vitesse Arnhem, and Davide Mariani (33). But also for the seven-time national team player Becir Omeragic (22). Defender Omeragic went to Montpellier for free in the summer of 2023. Atalanta star Berat Djimsiti (31), on the other hand, who left FCZ on a free transfer in January 2016, would be welcome. The club terminated his contract with the defender at the time.
FCZ fans can dream of Elvedi and Rodriguez
FCZ fans can also hope for other prominent returnees. Because there are also other examples such as Kevin Rüegg or Simon Sohm, says Canepa. "They were on the move abroad, but have extended their contracts with us. So we were able to guarantee transfer income accordingly." The Zurich club also paid a transfer fee for the international players Nico Elvedi (28) and Ricardo Rodriguez (32).
