Confident, but not aloof: Bayern loanee Jonathan Asp Jensen inspires the fans, his coach and his sporting director.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Bayern loanee Jonathan Asp Jensen impresses at GC with his wit, motivation and effectiveness and is emblematic of the team's best moments this season.
- Coach Scheiblehner and sporting director Sutter praise Asp Jensen's attitude and development - despite his current adductor injury, he remains a key player.
- GC benefits not only in sporting terms, but also financially from loan deals such as Asp Jensen's, as the club earns money when he is sold on.
He knows exactly what he is talking about. In the 90s, Alain Sutter himself wore the FC Bayern kit. He worked under footballing greats Franz Beckenbauer, Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The club's mantra? Mia san mia: We are who we are. Self-confident, successful, close to the people.
Will Jonathan Asp Jensen, a 19-year-old player on loan from the Bayern stable, bring this same "Mia san mia" to the GC campus? Absolutely, according to GC sporting director Sutter: "He knows what he can do. He knows that he is good. But without arrogance. And that's a fine line." Asp Jensen loves the game. "Anyone who wants to punish him takes the ball away from him," says Sutter and laughs.
He has scored five goals and set up four. A special memory: the 1:0 goal against FCZ. He drove the ball halfway across the pitch and finished with a flick. He scored a similar goal in the 3:3 against YB.
Asp Jensen stands for the best GC moments this season like few others. Coach Gerald Scheiblehner says: "He is a difference-maker. We knew from the start that he was a very good player. But he also quickly adopted our style of play." The high intensity, the play against the ball - the talent from Denmark has also proven himself there. Scheiblehner says: "Johnny is on a very good path because he doesn't rest despite his ability."
GC is involved in loan players
Asp Jensen and GC: according to sporting director Sutter, it was a good fit right from the start. Even when the Dane was on the GC campus and had a look around, he was impressed. "We didn't have to convince Johnny to come to GC. He wanted to come here." And that is the best prerequisite for Sutter to develop further.
And that is also what his owner club, FC Bayern, wants. But what does GC gain from loan players like Asp Jensen? Sutter says: "We have a financial stake in all of them. And that makes it incredibly attractive for us to loan players from Bayern." Developing players further, benefiting in sporting terms at least in the short term and then participating financially, for example if they are sold on - part of the Hoppers' business model. "That was already the case with (Nestroy) Irankunda," says Sutter.
Irankunda, a fast attacking player, was on loan from Bayern last season. He now plays for Watford in the English Championship. GC was involved in the sale of Bayern on a percentage basis.
"You have to perform at GC"
And what does the coach say? It doesn't bother him that he can't plan long-term with the loan players. Scheiblehner says: "I make no distinction between loan players and others. At the beginning, I didn't even know who had which contract situation." Everyone should work and take the next step. "And if a loan player thinks he can do less, he will fail anyway. We are at GC - and you have to perform."
Another consequence of the hard training that Gerald Scheiblehner is said to have undergone? The coach says: "If you want to play like we do, you have to train intensively. It takes time for the players to get used to it."
In Asp Jensen's case, that still seems to be taking a while. An adductor injury has forced him to take a break. And not being able to play is not just the worst thing for him. It's also bad for GC.
