Football champions Sturm Graz have completed the intended signing of Mika Biereth from Arsenal: The 21-year-old Dane signed a four-year contract in Graz, where he scored nine goals in 22 games during a six-month loan spell.
Sturm and Arsenal did not provide any details on the terms. The latest transfer fee was reported to be 4.7 million euros. That would be a club record for new signings. “It is of course clear that we had to take a big step financially for this transfer, but we are absolutely convinced of Mika and his potential and are therefore certain that this transfer will give us a lot of joy,” Thomas Tebbich, Sturm’s business director, was quoted as saying.
Sporting director Andreas Schicker was pleased with Biereth’s “very clear commitment to SK Sturm”. “Mika is an absolute professional striker for our system, with power, depth and an enormous goal threat. We have never made a secret of the fact that we wanted to see Mika continue in Graz following his outstanding performances in the spring.”
Biereth, who delighted the Sturm fans with goals and the excessive enjoyment of the double celebration, stressed that he feels extremely comfortable in Graz. “Let’s go Schwoaze, I’m really happy to be back in Graz!” explained the Dane, who grew up in London.
Sturm’s previous record signing for over two decades was Charles Amoah, who moved from St. Gallen to Graz in 2001 during the Kartnig era for just under four million. Red Bull Salzburg holds the Bundesliga record for new signings. The runners-up paid French midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath a transfer fee of 13 million euros in the summer of 2022.
The transfers of the Bundesliga clubs
- SK Sturm Graz
To: Zvonarek (Cro, Bayern Munich, loan), Karic (Darmstadt), Malic (Slo, Ried), Chukwuani (Den, Lyngby), Kern (Hun, Puskas Academia), Dante (Mli, FC Zurich, following loan)
Ab: Schnegg (Washington), Jaros (Cze, Liverpool, following loan), Serrano (Esp, Atletico Madrid, following loan), Affengruber, Stückler - FC Salzburg
To: Blaswich (D, Leipzig, loan), Kawamura (Jpn, Hiroshima), Piatkowski (Pol, Granada, following loan), Kameri (Grasshopper Club Zurich, following loan), Van der Brempt (Bel, Hamburg, following loan)
Ab: Daniliuc (Salernitana, following loan), Omoregie (Hartberg, loan), Ulmer, Koita, Horn (D) - SHOT
To: Boateng (D, Salernitana), Entrup (Hartberg), Smolcic (Cro, Frankfurt, loan), Bogarde (Ned, Hoffenheim II), Kone (Sen, Dunajska Streda, following loan), N. Polster (Horn, following loan), Wimhofer (Horn, following loan), Sulzner (Amstetten, following loan)
Ab: Havel (Hartberg, loan), Jungwirth (Admira, loan), Ba (D, Leipzig, following loan, to Braunschweig), Twardzik (Cze, Trnava), Luckeneder, Michorl, Wiesinger, Letard (Fra) - SK Rapid
To: Schaub (Hannover), Bolla (Hun, Wolverhampton, most recently loaned to Geneva), Raux-Yao (Fra, Rodez), Sangare (Mli, Salzburg, most recently loaned to Hartberg), Böckle (Düsseldorf, most recently loaned to Münster), Schöller (Admira), Haas (Admira), Druijf (Ned, Zwolle, following loan), Zimmermann (Wolfsberg, following loan), Bischof (Vienna, following loan)
Ab: Grüll (Bremen), Querfeld (U. Berlin), Moormann (Blau-Weiß Linz), Sollbauer (Ried), Mayulu (Fra, Bristol), Kasanwirjo (Ned, Feyenoord Rotterdam, following loan), Kongolo (Ned, Fulham, following loan), Schick (Leoben), Strunz (Altach, loan), Unger (Vienna) - TSV Hartberg
To: Havel (LASK, loan), Schendl (Ried), Diarra (Mli, Cadiz, loan), Omoregie (Salzburg, loan), Markus (Slo, Domzale), Schwarz (Rapid, loan, most recently loaned to Klagenfurt), Amadin (Ned, Schalke II), Karner (Sturm Graz II), Hoffmann (Halbturn), Canazlar (Akademie Vorarlberger), Lemmerer (Amstetten, following loan), Scherf (Amstetten, following loan)
Ab: Entrup (LASK), Frieser (GAK), Diakite (Mli, West Bromwich), Sangare (Mli, Salzburg, following loan, to Rapid), Bowat (Sco, Fulham, following loan), Steinwender (Värnamo), Brückner (D, Bayern Munich II, following loan), Gollner (Obdach), Schutti (Oberwart), Ehmann (Voitsberg), Kröpfl (Velden), Knoflach - SK Austria Klagenfurt
To: Koch (Blau-Weiß Linz), Wydra (Rapid, loan), Szerensci (Kapfenberg), Lee (Kor, Yonsei), Bobzien (D, Mainz, loan, most recently loaned to Lustenau), Spari (FAC), Kühn (D, V. Berlin), Dehl (D, V. Berlin, following loan), May (D, V. Berlin, following loan), Toshevski (Mkd, Sibenik, following loan)
Ab: Wimmer (Wolfsberg), Karweina (D, Luzern), Menzel (D, Saarbrücken), Schumacher (D, Saarbrücken), Benatelli (D, Mannheim), Irving (Sco, West Ham, following loan), Besuschkow (D, Hannover, following loan), Schwarz (Rapid, following loan, to Hartberg), Loune (Mar, Nürnberg, following loan), Arweiler (D), Djoric (Srb), Maglica (Cro), Markelic - Wolfsberger AC
To: Wimmer (Klagenfurt), Matic (Srb, Red Star Belgrade)
Ab: Veratschnig (Mainz), Ibertsberger (Salzburg, following loan, to Blau-Weiß Linz), Bonmann (D, Rasgrad), Tijani (Ngr, Salzburg, following loan), Zimmermann (Rapid, following loan), Leitgeb (Leoben), Novak (Treibach) - FK Austria Vienna
To: Sahin-Radlinger (Almere, following loan), Malone (D, Basel, loan), Barry (Gam, Bnei Yehuda), Cristiano (Bra, Sao Bento, loan)
Ab: Früchtl (D, Lecce), Schmidt (Blau-Weiß Linz), Krätzig (D, Bayern Munich, following loan, to Stuttgart), M. Polster (Lausanne-Sport), Asllani (D, Hoffenheim, following loan), Kani (Tog, Beitar Jerusalem), Holland (Aus) - FC Blau-Weiß Linz
To: Moormann (Rapid), Anderson (Bra, Lustenau), Schmidt (Austria Wien), Ibertsberger (Salzburg, most recently loaned to Wolfsberg), Wähling (D, Osnabruck), Dantas (Bra, Lemense), Radulovic (Wallern/St. Marienkirchen, following loan), Softic (Wallern/St. Marienkirchen, following loan)
Ab: Haudum (Admira), Koch (Klagenfurt), Windhager (A. Salzburg), Brandner (Mondsee), Krainz - SCR Altach
To: Fridrikas (Lustenau), Kronberger (Sturm Graz, most recently loaned to Tirol), Madritsch (Ried), Strunz (Rapid, loan), Oberwaditzer (Lie, Akademie Vorarlberg), Helac (Lustenau), Milojevic (Leverkusen U19), Lincoln (Bra, Kobe), Mischitz (Dornbirn, following loan), Odehnal (Dornbirn, following loan)
Ab: Reiner (Gliwice, following loan), Eckmayr (Tirol), Kaiba (Cmr, Bregenz, loan), Zwischenbrugger, Schützenauer, Strauss, Reiter, Edokpolor, Jurcec (Cro), Prietl (end of career) - WSG Tyrol
To: Hinterseer (Rostock), Anselm (LASK, loaned to V. Köln in spring), Lawrence (D, Bayern Munich II), Eckmayr (Altach), Butler (USA, Hoffenheim II)
Ab: Prelec (Slo, Cagliari, following loan), Kronberger (Sturm Graz, following loan, to Altach), Buksa (Pol, FC Genoa, following loan, to Zabrze), Tomic (Leoben), Bacher, Ozegovic, Stumberger (Cro), Schulz (D), Ogrinec (Slo), F. Oswald (retired) - Grazer AK 1902
To: Frieser (Hartberg), Cipot (Slo, La Spezia, loan), Italiano (Aus, Mönchengladbach II), Kirchmayr (Wolfsburg), Eder (Saalfelden), Zaizen (Jpn, Amstetten, following loan), Fritz (Fürstenfeld, following loan)
Ab: Jatremski (D, Bayern Munich II, following loan, to Unterhaching), Stefanon (Bregenz), Eloshvili (Geo, Kapfenberg), Murg (Weiz), Th. Mayer, Köchl, Jager, Fahler
