‘I don’t know what it means’

Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 12:36• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 12:40

The arrival of Gernot Trauner was received with much applause in Rotterdam. The central defender makes a solid impression in his first matches for Feyenoord and quickly played himself in the team of trainer Arne Slot. The Austrian is so well placed in the group that his teammates have already come up with a nickname, only the protagonist himself does not quite know what to do with it.

Bryan Linssen reacted with praise to his new teammate after the resounding 0-4 victory over Willem II last weekend. “In the back, that Trauner, we call him Bald Chatter“, said Linssen in front of the camera of ESPN. “He really flies everywhere with that head of his. He smashes everything away. He is so calm when playing football. This is really a top defender. Really great. When you see him go into duels, it goes really hard. someone like him standing in the back.”

“It has something to do with my hair, I believe?” Trauner responds to Feyenoord TV on the nickname invented by the selection of Feyenoord. The mandekker who came over from LASK also joins in exuberantly after the matches with the singing towards the supporters when the Are we from Rotterdam? is deployed. “I think we are asked if we are real Rotterdammers and then we respond if they can’t hear that. Something like that. I’m doing my best, but it’s not easy for me at the moment.”

Feyenoord must ensure themselves on Thursday evening at the expense of the Swedish Elfsborg of participation in the group stage of the Conference League. “It’s the last step to reach the group stage,” Trauner said. “It will be a difficult game. We play at home first, so need a good start. I hope we can get a good result.” If Feyenoord qualify for the Conference League, the club’s budget will be raised to more than seventy million euros. For Vitesse and Feyenoord, 2.94 million euros is available in starting money for participation in the Conference League.