LINZ. Greetings from Switzerland! With the power of the Swiss, FC Blau-Weiß Linz wants to get back on the road to success in today’s Bundesliga away game against WSG Tirol (5 p.m.). On the last day of the summer transfer period, Silvan Wallner moved from FC Zurich to the Stahlstadt and got his first minutes in the blue and white jersey in the away win in Altach (1-0) and in the recent 1-2 defeat against Sturm Graz. “The team welcomed me well, I’ve already settled in very well,” says the 22-year-old, who immediately had a special role to play after the first three-pointer in Vorarlberg: the defender became the whip in the winner’s circle. “I can bring some momentum and mood,” says Wallner with a smile.
Blue-White brought him in primarily because of other qualities in the transfer finish. “Silvan has good solutions in possession of the ball and also has high speed. Tactically, he quickly internalized our game idea. Similar football was played at his former club Zurich,” says Blue and White coach Gerald Scheiblehner.
However, Wallner’s nationality played an important role in the signing: Although he was born in Zurich, the defender has both Swiss and Austrian citizenship. Scheiblehner: “His grandfather lives in Carinthia. That’s how we became aware of him because we’re basically looking for Austrians.”
Will international matches with the eagle on his chest be an alternative for Wallner in the future as a result of moving to Austria? “I feel like I’m Swiss and I’m currently on the Swiss U21 national team. But of course I’m aware that both countries would be possible.”
“I was quickly convinced”
The move to the neighboring country makes sense for him, especially from a sporting point of view: The dual citizen had already played eight competitive games for Zurich before his transfer this season – including four games in the Conference League qualification – but all of them predominantly as a left-back. A position for which his former club brought in two new signings in the summer. “I quickly became convinced that the move to blue and white would help me,” explains Wallner.
Even in his childhood, he was relatively certain about his favorite hobby – even if his father once dared to try it. “My father briefly thought about taking me skiing. That’s typical for the Swiss too. But for me, football was always number one.”
Wallner and the Royal Blues want to show today in Tyrol that it was the right decision: “We have to go into the game with conviction again, then we can win.”
