Happy about VfL comeback
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It was only during the week that Bochum coach Dieter Hecking issued a personal transfer veto for Bernardo. The 29-year-old, who made his starting eleven comeback after injury against Werder Bremen (0-1) on Saturday, was one of the Bundesliga club’s sales candidates last summer. The Brazilian corrected the prevailing opinion that he really wanted to leave the club on Saturday evening.
“I was away for a long time and read a lot of things. The fans, among others, said I wanted to go and didn’t feel like it,” said Bernardo after the final whistle. But that was not the case, he assured. With a market value of 7 million euros, the left-footed player is the most valuable player in the squad, and he also held this status last summer.
There is said to have been concrete interest from Union Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The move to the capital was said to have been almost certain before a knee injury caused the transfer to collapse. “People don’t know how difficult it is for a football player when he’s injured,” emphasized Bernardo now, more than six months after his last starting eleven appearance. “I’m happy that I can play here again with this jersey.”
Bernardo is likely to stay at VfL at least until the end of the season, then his current contract will expire. In the Bundesliga, he is one of the ten most valuable players with an ending working paper. However, a free transfer could still be prevented by an option. The former Leipzig player must play at least 17 games for the contract to be automatically extended by one year. The comeback is not only important for Bochum in terms of sport.
