I think next season's 2.Bundesliga is going to be good. Whilst Hamburg and Köln are the obvious favourites for promotion, I don't think it's going to be that easy for them. For a start both teams have already lost some important players and will continue to and even if they are replaced (Which Köln are already doing well with) they will be weaker than last season. Then there is Union Berlin, Bochum and Ingolstadt who should be battling towards the top next season so it should be a good promotion race.
So far Köln have been the most active. They have lost Leonardo Bittencourt (left winger), Yuya Osako (striker), Dominique Heintz (centre back) and Lukas Klünter (right back) but have signed Louis Schaub (attacking midfield and right winger), Rafael Czichos (centre back), Niklas Hauptmann (centre midfield), Benno Schmitz (right back), Lasse Sobiech (centre back) and Matthias Bader (right back) as well as appointing Marcus Anfang as Head Coach. Anfang led Holstein Kiel to promotion from the 3rd division and then to 3rd place in the 2.Bundesliga this season just finished.
I have a big soft spot for Union Berlin so I'm looking forward to their season and a push for promotion after last season's disappointing season. Urs Fischer has been brought in as Head Coach and a new Sporting Director has been appointed so the upper management is very solid. Urs Fischer's previous job was with Basel in his native Switzerland where he won the league twice and the cup once. In the playing staff, right winger Steven Skrzybski has joined Schalke, left back Kristian Pedersen is likely to join Birmingham City and Daniel Mesenhöler (goalkeeper), Toni Leistner (centre back), Stephen Furstner (defensive midfield) and Dennis Daube (centre midfield) are all departing at the end of their contracts on the 30th June. As for signings, left back Ken Reichel is very close to signing a two year deal on a free transfer from Eintracht Braunschweig and Hannover players Florian Hübner (centre back) and Manuel Schmiedebach (defensive midfield) are expected to sign soon. That leaves Union needing a goalkeeper, right back, right winger and striker (Christoffer Nyman has been heavily linked from Eintracht Braunschweig) and Eroll Zejnullahu will return from his loan at Sandhausen to replace Dennis Daube.
Whatever happens with Union, I hope the season is an entertaining battle for promotion and I wouldn't bet against a surprise package also being up there like Holstein Kiel were last season.
I expect the top 6 to be (and I might be a little biased):
1 - Köln
2 - Union Berlin
3 - Hamburg
4 - Bochum
5 - Ingolstadt
6 - Darmstadt
So far Köln have been the most active. They have lost Leonardo Bittencourt (left winger), Yuya Osako (striker), Dominique Heintz (centre back) and Lukas Klünter (right back) but have signed Louis Schaub (attacking midfield and right winger), Rafael Czichos (centre back), Niklas Hauptmann (centre midfield), Benno Schmitz (right back), Lasse Sobiech (centre back) and Matthias Bader (right back) as well as appointing Marcus Anfang as Head Coach. Anfang led Holstein Kiel to promotion from the 3rd division and then to 3rd place in the 2.Bundesliga this season just finished.
I have a big soft spot for Union Berlin so I'm looking forward to their season and a push for promotion after last season's disappointing season. Urs Fischer has been brought in as Head Coach and a new Sporting Director has been appointed so the upper management is very solid. Urs Fischer's previous job was with Basel in his native Switzerland where he won the league twice and the cup once. In the playing staff, right winger Steven Skrzybski has joined Schalke, left back Kristian Pedersen is likely to join Birmingham City and Daniel Mesenhöler (goalkeeper), Toni Leistner (centre back), Stephen Furstner (defensive midfield) and Dennis Daube (centre midfield) are all departing at the end of their contracts on the 30th June. As for signings, left back Ken Reichel is very close to signing a two year deal on a free transfer from Eintracht Braunschweig and Hannover players Florian Hübner (centre back) and Manuel Schmiedebach (defensive midfield) are expected to sign soon. That leaves Union needing a goalkeeper, right back, right winger and striker (Christoffer Nyman has been heavily linked from Eintracht Braunschweig) and Eroll Zejnullahu will return from his loan at Sandhausen to replace Dennis Daube.
Whatever happens with Union, I hope the season is an entertaining battle for promotion and I wouldn't bet against a surprise package also being up there like Holstein Kiel were last season.
I expect the top 6 to be (and I might be a little biased):
1 - Köln
2 - Union Berlin
3 - Hamburg
4 - Bochum
5 - Ingolstadt
6 - Darmstadt