Genoa legionnaire Stolz:
“Not much is missing to reach the highest level”
Ex-SKN professional Franz Stolz is currently only goalkeeper number four at Serie A team Genoa, but still feels right at home in the Italian port city. Thomas Turner's cruciate ligament rupture, which forced him out of St. Pölten's starting eleven in the fall, did not go unnoticed by the 1.93m giant...
Just under two months ago, Franz Stolz moved from the substitutes' bench of second division club St. Pölten to the squad of Serie A club FC Genoa. It took the goalkeeper some time to realize the deal. "Like a fairytale." And although he has only been able to watch the twelfth-placed team's matches from the stands so far, the Styrian has not regretted the move. "Because the impressions in this completely different soccer world are impressive, I get to know so many new things - I'm glad I decided to take this path."
After his first vacation at home ("three beautiful, but also stressful days"), he returned to Italy yesterday. Under the guidance of goalkeeping coach Stefano Garibaldi, Stolz is trying to climb up the internal rankings. The 23-year-old is currently the number four keeper behind Spaniard Josep Martinez and Italians Nicola Leali and Daniele Sommariva. "But I knew that when they brought me in and I accepted it. It was always clear that I would have to get used to the level in the first six months. From the summer onwards, we'll see where I find my place."
But he has no stress - Stolz has a contract until 2027. Of course, there will be no getting past Martinez. The 25-year-old was brought in from Leipzig last summer for around €3.5 million, is one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A and his market value has already risen to six million. "He has also made himself interesting for bigger clubs," winks Stolz, who is not worried about the current lack of match practice: "If you train at this level and are involved in match practice, there's not much left to reach the highest level."
"Extremely bitter!
Thomas Turner's cruciate ligament rupture, which forced him out of St. Pölten's starting eleven in the fall, did not go unnoticed by the 1.93m giant: "Extremely bitter, but unfortunately it's part of the sport." Stolz sent words of encouragement via WhatsApp: "We were rivals, but we had a good relationship." The latter is not a given among goalkeepers. Whether in Austria or Italy...
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