FC Zurich officially unveiled the transfer king Steven Zuber on Friday. Sporting director Milos Malenovic talks to blue Sport about how the deal came about.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- "He will make the other players better, there's no question about that," says FCZ sporting director Milos Malenovic about new signing Steven Zuber.
- Expectations of Zuber are high. Malenovic wants to see performance from him. In addition, he should bring the winning gene closer to the team.
- With Zuber, FCZ now have a player in the squad whose flexibility can surprise opponents, says Malenovic. Zuber's GC past does not bother the FCZ bosses.
Steven Zuber has made his first appearance as an FCZ player. He introduced himself at the media conference on Friday, although the 56-time international needs no further introduction in Swiss football.
Milos Malenovic speaks of Zuber as "a caliber" that he was able to sign for FC Zurich. How did the FCZ sporting director manage the transfer coup? "I started nagging early on," says Malenovic with a grin on blue Sport. With a player like Zuber, you have to be quick, and a bit of luck is also part of it.
Great advance praise, great expectations
Malenovic is full of praise for Zuber. Zuber is a player with personality and character, a team player and a great guy. "He will make the other players better, there's no question about that. He is an enrichment for us in all respects."
An asset that is also subject to certain expectations. "I expect performance from him," says Malenovic. And performance for an attacking player like Zuber ultimately means Assists and goals, in other words, victories. And Zuber always wants to win, says Malenovic. "We need this gene in our club."
The new element of surprise at FCZ
Winning has been one of those things at FCZ in recent games. After a strong start to the season, the Zurich side picked up three points from their last six games. Within the space of a few weeks, they fell from the leaders' throne to sixth place.
With Zuber, Malenovic and Co. are hoping for an element of surprise in Zurich's game. The national team player can play in different systems and positions. "This flexibility gives us the opportunity to surprise our opponents."
"His GC past doesn't bother us"
However, his transfer from AEK Athens to FCZ was primarily surprising. The announcement on December 11 came out of nowhere. It was a huge transfer that didn't suit everyone. His GC past and an Instagram post deleted after the transfer, in which Zuber professed his love for the Hoppers in 2019, were a thorn in the side of certain supporters of both Zurich clubs.
For the FCZ bosses, Zuber's GC past is not an issue. "It doesn't bother us," says Malenovic. You have to look at the whole thing professionally. There have always been transfers within both city clubs. "Zuber is not someone who ran around the city with the GC flag. He made a conscious decision to take this step and is looking forward to FCZ."
First fine-tuning, then endurance test
Before things really get going for Zuber in an FCZ shirt, he has a training camp in southern Turkey. After his debut at the media conference, he should make his debut on the pitch against Yverdon at the start of the second half of the season in around two weeks' time.
blue Sport will broadcast the match live from the Letzigrund on January 19.
