FSV Mainz 05 sporting director Nico Bungert recently said his club is done with transfers from January 2026. Bungert and Mainz CEO Christian Heidel have been very proactive in the personnel file facing them in the current windowbut that doesn’t necessarily mean the well-respected administrative duo is done with business.
Mainz started the new calendar year dead last in the Bundesliga standings. Two league victories and a draw allowed Rhenish Hesse to collect seven points from four league matches and move into the promotion-relegation playoff spot. Even though security is far from assured, new head coach Urs Fischer has already made the most of his new additions.
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Who did Mainz add?
Heidel and Bungert moved quickly to acquire two new attackers, perhaps paying a little too much to secure the services of Augsburg striker Phillip Tietz while pulling off a low-cost swoop on an effective no-risk deal to bring in Stuttgart winger Silas. Both new additions have already earned starts under Fischer. So far, a single assist from Tietz constitutes either player’s only appearance on the scoresheet.
Tietz may not have opened his account at Mainz yet, but has managed to help teammates like Benedict Hollerbach and Nadiem Amiri perform better from different attacking positions. Unfortunately, Tietz and Silas did not perform well as a dual striker in Mainz’s league defeat against Cologne. Tietz also missed a penalty this weekend.
We certainly cannot accuse the third addition of the current transfer window of not having had a rapid impact. Stefan Posch featured in Fischer’s starting lineup shortly after the ink on its transfer papers had dried and put in a good performance during the weekend’s victory against Wolfsburg. Few doubted that Posch would contribute without delay.
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Who could still leave?
Mainz is in no hurry to sell anyone. The purchase of Tietz (4 million euros) and the loan fee of Posch (200,000 euros) hardly cause any impact on the situation. Estimated transfer surplus of Mainz. The relatively small market club still does not count as a revenue mill. Mainz’s current form has undoubtedly made a huge dent in the revenue of the Mainz gates. A little extra money in the form of loan fees would go a long way.
Hong Hyun-Seok and Konstantin Schopp’s loans generated no reported loan fees. Forward Ben Bobzien the last parking lot also did not generate any known revenue. It could be that inconsistent strikers such as William Bøving, Paul Nebel or Arnaud Nordin are wanted for loans.
It is extremely unlikely that Mainz will seriously begin to consider offers for Kaishu Sano in the middle of a relegation race. Likewise, the likelihood that Heidel and Bungert will consider cashing out the only valuable player on their deadweight ledger/expiring contract (Jae-Sung Lee) is thin.
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Nelson Weiper could be on the move
The deduction process leaves Nelson Weiper as the most likely candidate to start. Although Weiper’s public falling out with the team this offseason ended with him signing a contract extension.Weiper is yet to score a Bundesliga goal for Mainz this season.
A bout with the flu leaves Weiper still waiting for his first minutes of 2026. If Mainz fail to secure loan fees for their player worth 12 million euros, a sale could even be considered. If Weiper is sold, we can surely bet that Mainz are not at all done adding new players in the January transfer window.
It is worth nothing that Bungert does not completely rule out further purchases.
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Bungert’s recent statement
“We are very well placed to achieve our objectives,“, said the sporting director after Saturday’s 3-1 victory against Wolfsburg. “There probably won’t be any other signings.“
