FC Zurich invites you to a media conference. Club boss Ancillo Canepa and Head of Sport Milos Malenovic talk about the upcoming season. The focus is also on the new FCZ coach Mitchell van der Gaag.
New FCZ coach Mitchell van der Gaag answers questions from the media at the start of training. The Dutchman says that he wants to play attractive attacking football and is looking forward to working as a team with his staff and Head of Sport Milos Malenovic.
At the media conference, the latter also has to answer many questions about the personnel situation at the Zurich club. Malenovic announces the departures of loan players Mounir Chouiar and Juan José Perea, for whom the purchase option has not been exercised. In addition, the contract with Rodrigo Conceição was terminated by mutual agreement.
The loan returns of Nikola Katic and Nemanja Tosic are also unlikely to continue. "It looks like Katic will be leaving. We have several offers on the table," says Malenovic. With Tosic, it is also not yet entirely clear how things will continue, "but it looks like a transfer for him too".
"Let's give gopferdelli some time"
FCZ are likely to see a lot of activity on the transfer market in the coming weeks. "A lot will happen," announces Malenovic. Meanwhile, club boss Ancillo Canepa is somewhat annoyed by the journalists' transfer questions: "Today is the first day of training, let's give ourselves some time! Also for the coach. The transfer market is dynamic. We are completely open, calm and relaxed."
And the goal for the season? It looks the same as a year ago. This time, coach van der Gaag announces: "We want to qualify for the European Cup. That is our clear goal."
The live ticker of the media conference
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The media conference is over
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The goal for the season remains: European Cup
Van der Gaag: "We want to qualify for Europe. That is our clear goal. I don't think we'll surprise anyone with that."
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Are there any potential transfer targets?
Canepa: "We're not going to make any statements about individual players or positions. If that's the next question, then: No! Today is the first day of training, let's give gopferdelli some time! Also for the coach. The transfer market is dynamic. We are completely open, calm and relaxed."
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The big FCZ squad
Van der Gaag: "The team shouldn't be too big. It's not a problem at the moment, we have to get a big picture first. But in the end, we don't want a squad that's too big, every player should get a chance."
Malenovic: "At the moment it's mainly young players. We need a balance with older players. In the end, the coach takes the main responsibility for the squad. With us, he was always responsible for the line-up and substitutions."
Canepa: "At the start of training, it's normal for a lot of players to be there. But it's logical that not all players will still be there in two months' time."
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Katic and Tosic likely to leave
Malenovic on the players returning on loan: "It looks like Katic will be leaving. We have several offers on the table. It's not quite clear yet with Tosic either, but it looks like a transfer for him too."
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Van der Gaag knows his predecessor Ricardo Moniz
Van der Gaag: "Ricardo and I know each other. We spoke to each other when I was in Eindhoven. But we haven't spoken since I've been here."
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Mendy has to impose himself
Malenovic: "Mendy is quite normal in training and will have to impose himself with performances. We had one or two issues that we were unhappy with. But we've discussed that. We expect full commitment from him. Then we'll see with the coach what happens next."
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Chouiar, Perea and Conceição leave the FCZ
Malenovic: "The purchase options for Chouiar and Perea will not be exercised. We have terminated the contract with Rodrigo Conceição by mutual agreement. We can't go any further there either. We would like to keep Ballet, but we are still in talks with Como." In addition, some young players will be promoted to the 1st team.
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Head coach instead of assistant coach
Van der Gaag: "During my last season at Manchester United, I realized that I wanted to become head coach again. The big pressure is solely on the head coach. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone."
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Van der Gaag on working with Ronaldo
Van der Gaag: "When I started at Maritimo, everything was still very small. There's no comparison to what I saw at Manchester United. You must never forget where you come from. I always knew I wanted to be a head coach again. If you can't work with the biggest stars, you have a big problem as a coach. I worked with youngsters and with small teams, then with the biggest stars. I learned a lot everywhere. Now I'm in Switzerland and have to adapt to Swiss football. That's not a problem. As a coach, you have to develop the players, no matter how young, old or famous they are."
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Van der Gaag on his heart problems
Van der Gaag suffered a cardiac arrest during a match at the start of his coaching career. "That's a story from the past. But it belongs to me. You see more and more that players are also affected by such problems. I'm Mitchell, I have an ICD (implanted defibrillator). There's nothing I can do about it."
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Squad planning far from complete
Malenovic: "A lot will still happen for us (on the transfer market). Some players will leave and others will come. We don't have any construction sites, we have opportunities. In January, we deliberately talked about a change and gave many young players a chance. We were very pleased about that. We are confident that the youngsters are much further ahead now. I think we have a good mix of experienced and young players."
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Malenovic talks about the choice of coach
Malenovic: "We are a big club in Switzerland, and van der Gaag quickly understood that. We had a season of ups and downs. We had to put a lot of things behind us and analyze them. The coach fits in perfectly with our philosophy, which is why we chose him."
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Van der Gaag is looking forward to the teamwork
Van der Gaag: "I learned one thing in football: you have to work as a team. Not just the players, but also the people in the background, the club management. When we spoke to each other, we got a good feeling. We want to play attacking football. I learned a lot on my way in Portugal, Holland and England and took a lot with me. It's important that we all have the same ideas. We want to press high, but in the end it's the results that count. We have a plan for how we want to implement our playing philosophy."
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Canepa and Malenovic talk about the new coach and the anticipation of the new season
Canepa: "The anticipation for the coming season is huge. We have already solved many problems in the past season and are already well-rehearsed. With Mitchell van der Gaag, we were able to sign our dream coach. The anticipation is great."
Malenovic: "I visited Mitchell in Portugal, where we had initial talks, and then he came to us in Zurich. He will certainly help us in several areas."
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The media conference begins
Club President Ancillo Canepa, Head of Sport Milos Malenovic, new coach Mitchell van der Gaag and Head of Media Michael Fritschi enter the room.
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About to start
The media conference is due to start at 13:00.
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A new coach is here
Also present: the new FCZ coach Mitchell van der Gaag. The Dutchman has taken over from compatriot Ricardo Moniz and is now set to lead the Zurich club back to success.
Van der Gaag was assistant coach to Erik ten Hag at Ajax Amsterdam and Manchester United between 2021 and 2024, where he also worked with Cristiano Ronaldo, among others. Find out more about the new FCZ coach here.
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Hello ...
and welcome to the live ticker of the FC Zurich press conference. Today, Monday, the FCZ professionals resumed training after their vacation. The club management answers questions from the media and talks about the goals for the season. The 2025/26 season starts on July 25.
