Cédric Zesiger has lost his regular place at VfL Wolfsburg. The central defender talks to blue Sport about his current situation and a possible transfer.
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- National team defender Cédric Zesiger is currently not getting beyond the reserve role at VfL Wolfsburg.
- The 26-year-old central defender is not ruling out a move in the winter. "I want to leave my mark in Germany. I don't really care which club," says Zesiger to blue Sport.
- His former club YB could certainly use some help. However, a return to Bern is not (yet) really an option for Zesiger.
After three league titles and two cup wins with Young Boys, Cédric Zesiger ventured abroad in the summer of 2023. His first year at VfL Wolfsburg went quite well. Although the Wolves missed out on international business, the central defender got plenty of match practice and found his feet in the Bundesliga.
However, the start to the new season did not go as planned. After a tough program against Bayern, Frankfurt, Leverkusen and Stuttgart and only one point from the four games against these top teams, Zesiger lost his regular place. Since September 28, he has only made one starting eleven appearance and one short appearance.
Unsatisfactory for the 26-year-old, who recently hoped in vain for a call-up to the national team. "I had high hopes for this season. I was happy with the start to the season because I had a regular place. But because we couldn't hold our own against the best teams, the coach (Ralph Hasenhüttl, ed.) wanted to try something out and then stuck with it," Zesiger explained to blue Sport.
Things went even worse for him at GC
Hasenhüttl completely adapted his style of play. This worked against weaker opponents, which is why he can't blame the coach for continuing to rely on the other players. "But I'm certainly a little disappointed with how things have gone so far this season. I had completely different plans," admits Zesiger. "As difficult as it is as a player, you just have to accept it."
But it's not the hardest time of his career at the moment. "No, because I spent three years at GC, which weren't easy either," smiles the Bernese player. "I also had phases where I wasn't a starter. And in sporting terms, things went even worse at GC than last season with Wolfsburg."
The phase at Grasshoppers has helped him to come to terms with his current situation, says the 1.94-meter giant. "But it's still not easy. I became a footballer to play. And I moved to Wolfsburg to play. That's why it's not satisfactory at the moment."
Transfer possible in January
He wants to talk to the coach and find out what the plan is for him. "If I'm told that it's going to be difficult for me, I can deal with that. You don't have to tell me something to make me feel better," says Zesiger and speaks plainly: "If that's how it's going to be, I can live with it and seek my fortune somewhere else. The next few weeks will show which direction I will take."
The ex-YB professional does not seem averse to a move in January. However, a return to Bern is currently out of the question. "I've always said that I'd like to go back to YB one day and finish my career there. But I'm 26 now and not 33, so that's not an option right now," Zesiger clarifies.
Where could he go then? "Germany remains the first option. England was always my dream and still is, but in the current situation it doesn't make sense to think about the Premier League," says the defender. "I want to leave my mark in Germany. I don't really care which club. The main thing is that I can make a positive impact."
