Ron-Robert Zieler - Confirmed

[Merging Cultures]

Our backup plan for another goalkeeper was Cologne's Timo Horn who was also available for £8-9m thanks to a release clause. He has now declined.

Source: Kicker.

 

Although I am glad we didn't sign him - just imagine the type of chants we'd have had to endure.

 

At least we could have played horny football

[Vlad the Fox]

We shouldn't be buying players for back up, every signing should be for the first team even looking to replace the top players. It's up to those there to improve and fight for their position. Forever moving forward and improving, start buying back ups you start going backwards

[Bob Weasel Fox]

We shouldn't be buying players for back up, every signing should be for the first team even looking to replace the top players. It's up to those there to improve and fight for their position. Forever moving forward and improving, start buying back ups you start going backwards

It reads as though he will be genuinely pushing Kasper for a first team spot so hopefully not just a back up ?

[FerrisBueller]

He's done a job for Hannover on my FIFA Career, based on that, get him in...

[Vlad the Fox]

It reads as though he will be genuinely pushing Kasper for a first team spot so hopefully not just a back up ?

I think I read Walsh say somewhere a while back that they buy for the first team. Obviously players like Grey and Amarty won't go straight in but as a rule the first teamers need to know there's an equally able player ready to step in if they drop in form.

[JJS84]

So a club has exercised their option to sell a player.... That's a first.

Maybe we could exercise our option to sell Liam Moore for 8million

Jesus Christ, I did say it was through google translate via hannovers website. Clearly it it did convert to perfect English.

Banish me now.

[MPH]

We shouldn't be buying players for back up, every signing should be for the first team even looking to replace the top players. It's up to those there to improve and fight for their position. Forever moving forward and improving, start buying back ups you start going backwards

I agree with you for the most part, but wages come into it... Especially now ffp is around...

[Babylon]

We shouldn't be buying players for back up, every signing should be for the first team even looking to replace the top players. It's up to those there to improve and fight for their position. Forever moving forward and improving, start buying back ups you start going backwards

But that's just wrong, we bought quite a bit of "backup", or what's currently seen as backup to replace the likes of Hammond, GTF, Upson, Wood. You replace poor bench options with better ones and your squad still improves.

You also can't go about chucking loads of money left right and centre. It's a squad game and if buying a Gray or Amertey does the job for now so be it.

[Vlad the Fox]

But that's just wrong, we bought quite a bit of "backup", or what's currently seen as backup to replace the likes of Hammond, GTF, Upson, Wood. You replace poor bench options with better ones and your squad still improves.

You also can't go about chucking loads of money left right and centre. It's a squad game and if buying a Gray or Amertey does the job for now so be it.

We're in a different place though now. We have a cracking squad, improvement and the future, that should be the mission. Improving bench options is fine, buying as back up is pointless and most players will want to come for first team football, or feel they have equal chance. I realise that there will be instances but the main goal should be for each signing to be an improvement, Walsh or Pearson said as much.

[MC Prussian]

We're in a different place though now. We have a cracking squad, improvement and the future, that should be the mission. Improving bench options is fine, buying as back up is pointless and most players will want to come for first team football, or feel they have equal chance. I realise that there will be instances but the main goal should be for each signing to be an improvement, Walsh or Pearson said as much.

But what if they're not getting that?

You ask King, Inler, Benalouane, De Laet, Kramaric, ... Surely they all came for or hoped for more first team action the past season?

We may be using more players due to Champions League/Europa League involvement, but who knows whether Ranieri will rotate that much?

At one point, you've got to accept it's a team game and there's only so much you can do yourself to change that, bench player or not.

Just because they're labeled "backups" doesn't render their talent or services useless.

[dpjfox]

announced this week surely

[mozartfox]

Or next week, or the week after.

[Babylon]

We're in a different place though now. We have a cracking squad, improvement and the future, that should be the mission. Improving bench options is fine, buying as back up is pointless and most players will want to come for first team football, or feel they have equal chance. I realise that there will be instances but the main goal should be for each signing to be an improvement, Walsh or Pearson said as much.

Our squad is getting there, we're in a different position now granted as we do have much better back up. But this is the keeper thread and I'd say that's one area that's fair game with regards backup at the moment. My gut feeling is that this guy is backup, with one eye on Kasper leaving within the next year. With his age, what he's achieved here and the Schmeichel "brand" that gets him into a bracket of keepers I'm personally not sure he warrants being mentioned in. I think he'll want to try his luck elsewhere soon enough.

 

I can see Zieler being backup for now and then taking over in a year. Just a gut feeling.

[Guest Col city fan]

He classes as a 'home grown' player as I think he was trained at Man Utd?

If so, shrewd move.

[shen]

First Huth, then Fuchs and now Zieler. What are the odds that we're getting a German-speaking right-back in?

[foxfanazer]

First Huth, then Fuchs and now Zieler. What are the odds that we're getting a German-speaking right-back in?

nein to 1

[Clever Fox]

I don't think we should be calling them backup players. It's a squad game nowadays and most of what we're being linked with are first team player's elsewhere.

This German Goalkeeper has already been part of a world cup winning team. He's clearly on the way up and will be serious competition for Kasper.

Our approach is correct in signing quality players on the way up to challenge what we have here already.

The one area that worries me is how easy we gave away possession or failed to retain the Ball last season. I still haven't seen us being linked with any player that will resolve that problem. Someone who is comfortable on the Ball and happy to retain it while being harried by others. although we still have time I guess to find one.

[MC Prussian]

I don't think we should be calling them backup players. It's a squad game nowadays and most of what we're being linked with are first team player's elsewhere.

This German Goalkeeper has already been part of a world cup winning team. He's clearly on the way up and will be serious competition for Kasper.

Our approach is correct in signing quality players on the way up to challenge what we have here already.

The one area that worries me is how easy we gave away possession or failed to retain the Ball last season. I still haven't seen us being linked with any player that will resolve that problem. Someone who is comfortable on the Ball and happy to retain it while being harried by others. although we still have time I guess to find one.

 

He's talented and proven on a higher level, but if we want to be fair to the lad, he didn't play a single game at the 2014 World Cup... because of Manuel Neuer. But who knows? He might be Germany's No. 1 at one point...

 

If this goes through, it'll be a great signing and a wonderful declaration of intent from the management that we need to boost the squad in all areas in order to remain competitive or even push us to a higher level of sustainable sportive success.

[UPinCarolina]

He's talented and proven on a higher level, but if we want to be fair to the lad, he didn't play a single game at the 2014 World Cup... because of Manuel Neuer. But who knows? He might be Germany's No. 1 at one point...

 

If this goes through, it'll be a great signing and a wonderful declaration of intent from the management that we need to boost the squad in all areas in order to remain competitive or even push us to a higher level of sustainable sportive success.

No shame backing up ze Sweeper-keeper.

[Fox 4 Life]

After their miraculous Premier League triumph, Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri faces something of a dilemma this summer as he gears up for the club’s title defence and debut Champions League campaign.

He has to decide whether to totally keep faith with the players who delivered the Premier League title or whether to use this window of opportunity to sign a host of players who the club ordinarily would struggle to attract.

His first signing looks like being Hannover goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler, whose imminent departure for the King Power Stadium has been confirmed by his club. It’s an intriguing, some might say odd signing given the form of Kasper Schmeichel this season and one that might offer some indication as to Ranieri’s future business over the next few months.

Zieler is of a high enough standing in the game that he almost certainly wouldn’t move somewhere on the premise of being merely a back-up goalkeeper. He has excelled in the Bundesliga over the past five seasons for Hannover, in which he has been a figure of consistency and hasn’t missed a single minute of league football.

A top performer

He was one of the club’s top performers in an otherwise miserable season this term as Hannover suffered relegation from the top flight and although his departure was almost inevitable, the likely destination is a curious one.

To put Zieler’s qualities in perspective, he was back-up to Manuel Neuer in Germany’s 2014 World Cup winning squad and earned his sixth cap for the national team this season in a friendly against the Netherlands.

He could have easily joined another Bundesliga club or a host of other Premier League clubs and been first choice goalkeeper, so we can only assume that he is being given some assurances that he will be doing more that sitting on the bench in the East Midlands.

It would be extremely tough on Schmeichel if he was to immediately lose his place to Zieler, given the Dane barely put a foot wrong this season, but he is not without his weaknesses and will now at the very least be faced with stiff competition for the Foxes number one jersey.

Cup competitions

One possibility might be that Zieler has been guaranteed by Ranieri to be the club’s goalkeeper in the cup competitions, allowing Schmeichel to keep his place, initially at least, in the Premier League. That would allow Zieler to test himself in the Champions League, where he is yet to feature.

It would allow him the opportunity to showcase his talents at the highest level and potentially win back his place in the German squad, whilst highlighting his potential to be Leicester’s number one goalkeeper in all competitions in the long-run.

An indication of ambition

His arrival would certainly be a blow to Schmeichel but might be an indication that deep down the mild-mannered, humble Ranieri is in no mood to let this campaign be a one-off.

He could easily have opted to sign a younger goalkeeper, who would be content to play second fiddle to the Dane for a few seasons at least, but he hasn’t done that and looks set to add several players who will provide provide fierce competition for his title winning troops.

[lgfualol]

I presume he's fully signed so we'll get confirmation by the club end of July.

[mozartfox]

Never presume anything until you read it in the Star.......

[Bob Weasel Fox]

I presume he's fully signed so we'll get confirmation by the club end of July.

2017

[shen]

An indication of ambition

His arrival would certainly be a blow to Schmeichel but might be an indication that deep down the mild-mannered, humble Ranieri is in no mood to let this campaign be a one-off.

He could easily have opted to sign a younger goalkeeper, who would be content to play second fiddle to the Dane for a few seasons at least, but he hasn’t done that and looks set to add several players who will provide provide fierce competition for his title winning troops.

 

Schmeichel has come out and said that he doesn't think Zieler will give sterner competition than Schwarzer, who has over 600 Prem appearances. He might be underestimating Zieler/overestimating Schwarzer a bit, but he seems supremely confident in himself. He's also said that he fully expected the club to reinforce in his position given Schwarzer leaving and Hamer seemingly out of the picture.

But the article seems to have completely overlooked Iversen joining in January in just that role being describer while assuming Zieler will expect first team football from the start.

[dbtcity]

http://m.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-City-transfer-rumours-Zieler-passes/story-29346149-detail/story.html apparently signed a 4 year deal after passing his medical