Sports director as a guest on the podcast
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Finn Jeltsch (18) is the most valuable professional at 1. FC Nürnberg and is well on his way to becoming one of the most expensive sales in FCN history with a potential move. “We won’t be able to prevent inquiries from coming at some point,” says sports director Olaf Rebbe in the Transfermarkt podcast “Done Deals”. The new episode is all about the question of the right time to sell a talent. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music, among others!
Since Jeltsch was included in the professional squad a year ago, he has played 23 games, mostly as a regular player, and has also increased his market value to 5 million euros – and the trend is rising. The club has collected at least this amount eight times in its history. The top departure since last summer has been Can Uzun (18), who moved to Eintracht Frankfurt for 11 million euros. With bonuses, up to 14 million euros are possible.
Rebbe describes Jeltsch as an established and experienced player. He has had “a great development that is far from over.” He still has “a lot left in the tank” and he will “definitely” go his own way. According to “Bild”, Jeltsch is tied to the FCN until 2028. It is doubtful that he will stay at the club for that long. The rumor mill has been quiet about him so far, but that says nothing about a player’s market interest, emphasizes Rebbe. If inquiries are received, the club will discuss this internally and with Jeltsch and his family. The overall package has to be right. “In the end, we decide what happens,” emphasizes Rebbe.
The sports director says about Jeltsch: “He is totally happy at the club. He is our number four and is moving forward with his young years. We’re having a lot of fun with him.” A potential change currently plays “no role at all” for the homegrown team. While Rebbe doesn’t want to waste any thoughts on selling the German U19 international, he couldn’t avoid it with Uzun last summer. “At Can we have exhausted the topic. We had the patience to get the best deal for all parties. It was definitely worth the wait,” emphasizes Rebbe, referring to it as the “perfect moment.”
There had already been speculation about Uzun’s departure in the previous two transfer periods, but the FCN remained stubborn. There were “several options”, but the sale to Eintracht Frankfurt was a “good solution” for the club. “We are very happy with the transfer and so is the player,” says Rebbe. When asked whether it annoys him when young players leave the club, he answers: “We have taken into account that something like that will happen. We have to be well prepared.”
The FCN is dependent on transfer proceeds. “That’s why we have to sell at a certain point,” said Rebbe. Since his arrival in April 2021, only three current second division clubs have earned more than FCN (27.8 million euros). This compares to 6.8 million euros in expenditure, which puts it in seventh place. In the squad value comparison of the 2nd league, the club is in sixth place (29 million euros).
