FC Basel has a new face in Daniel Stucki. In an interview with blue Sport, the sporting director explains what he wants to do with the transfer income, where he sees potential for optimization in the squad and what he learned as a police officer.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Daniel Stucki was presented as sports director at FC Basel in mid-May of this year. The 42-year-old, who previously worked at the club as director of Basel's youth academy, was given a contract valid until 2027.
- In addition, Stucki, who won three Swiss championships with FC Zurich as a defender between 2006 and 2009, remained a member of the FCB sports commission, which he chaired.
Daniel Stucki is "very satisfied" with his first summer as FCB sports director. "We had good preparation and trained very intensively. There were no injuries during the preparation - actually positive throughout," he concludes.
FC Basel disappointed last season and will therefore not play internationally next season for the first time in 25 years. This also had advantages for squad planning, as there are now no qualifying rounds, as Stucki explains. "We were able to work calmly and are not under pressure to be fit right in the middle. We were able to plan our squad properly, as the transfer window in Switzerland is still relatively long."
Despite missing out on international competitions, FC Basel is still a great place for talented players. "In terms of history, we naturally have a lot of power as FC Basel. It's a big club, we also have the man power to bring players back into the top five leagues," emphasizes Stucki. "That's also the interesting thing for young or other players."
The elimination of the triple burden has also been factored into the squad planning. "Of course, we have already downsized considerably," says Stucki. "As FC Basel, we want to get back into the top half of the table. That has to be our ambition. And that's what we're working for."
Learning from the mistakes of the previous season
His analysis of last season's sporting failure: "On the one hand, it was a disappointing start with mistakes, and we have to learn from that. We lost a lot of players, we sold almost the entire first eleven. Many players only arrived at the end of the transfer period. We got off to a bad start and it's difficult for the team when seven or eight new players come in." On the other hand, the upward trend under new coach Fabio Celestini from November was positive. "We are building on this framework," says Stucki.
That's why now is not the time to dream big. "You have to be realistic. We finished eighth last season. We fought against relegation for a long time, almost to the end. That's simply a fact. Now we have to finish in the top half of the table. FC Basel is one of the big clubs in Switzerland. And we have to play internationally again. It's clear that's the goal."
The finance department was able to celebrate in the summer. Renato Veiga left for around 14 million euros. Ex-FCB player Riccardo Calafiori impressed at the European Championships. The Italian is now said to be on the shopping list of many big clubs, and Basel is said to have secured a share of the sale - insiders rumor between 20 and 50 percent - in the transfer to Bologna. The figures being bandied about are "certainly not unrealistic", says Stucki.
"It always depends on how you negotiate. We negotiated very well. Accordingly, we will certainly be well involved if Calafiori were to transfer." However, this would not actually have any influence on the squad planning. "It's just very interesting and positive from an economic point of view, of course. But it has no relevance for squad planning."
They had already discussed with the sports commission, board of directors and coaches in January where they could strengthen their squad. "We won't deviate from this plan, even though we could potentially have transfer income now." Stucki adds: "We have a lot of promising young talent in the squad. We also made a lot of transfer income last year and reinvested a lot. It simply has to be reinvested sensibly."
Offensive reinforcements wanted
However, reinforcements are still possible in certain areas, even if they are very satisfied with the way they are already set up, says Stucki. "If you want to play at the top, you need a lot of scoring points. We didn't do that much last year, offensively we certainly have the potential to score even more points," says the 42-year-old.
Of course, there could also be departures. With one player, there are both sporting and economic interests. "If the balance is right, then we'll try to keep him. But if the balance becomes unbalanced, then it is clear that FC Basel will let players go," says Stucki, explaining the club's philosophy.
As the former head of youth development at FC Basel, Stucki naturally attaches great importance to promoting young players: "We have many good youngsters who have now taken another step forward. It's absolutely important to us as a club to be able to integrate our own youngsters into the first team."
Xherdan Shaqiri, a former Basel legend, will soon be on the transfer market. Is a return to the Rheinknie on the cards? "There have been no talks," says Stucki. "It's clear that there's always interest in Xherdan Shaqiri with his qualities as a footballer - which the ten or so other national team players with a past at FCB also have. When the time is right and the moment is right for the player and the club, we are always interested in such players."
Police work helps as sports director
After his professional career - Stucki won three league titles with FC Zurich - Stucki continued to play at amateur level, while also gaining his coaching diploma and working as an assistant coach. And: Stucki worked for the Basel cantonal police for ten years, where he was responsible for operational planning. "I had no intention of returning to football," admits Stucki. The return was more of a coincidence. "Football is my passion," says Stucki. He is also interested in the business side of things, in organizing and coordinating things. That's why the move was the right one.
Are there parallels between his previous and current job? "In the police force, I attended leadership courses and had to lead operations where life and limb were at stake. Team spirit, leading a team, dealing with a team - I learned a lot from that," emphasizes Stucki. Nevertheless, there are major challenges in the new job: "Mediating between the lines, i.e. getting everyone on board - players, coaches, board of directors." It is also important to do things in a way that is not too brash or too fast, explains Stucki.
Stucki's day-to-day work in his new job is well-paced. "You have a lot of parallel tasks. I want to see every team training session so that I know what we're talking about and what's happening." Stucki continues: "There are meetings with players to discuss future plans. Then I have an endless number of phone calls, like every other sports director, which always come in between. Then we also have board matters that we want to reorganize internally," says Stucki and sums up: "I'm certainly not bored at the moment."
