Stuttgart resisting 1. FC Heidenheim attempts to acquire defender Leonidas Stergiou on loan

Dennis Beyer reports that 1. FC Heidenheim talks to acquire Stuttgart defender Leonidas Stergiou on loan are at a highly advanced stage. The 23-year-old has been mending a syndesmotic tear with the VfB reserves in the 3. Liga and has not logged a single minute of Bundesliga action this season. Heidenheim have been courting the six-times-capped Swiss international for several weeks.

Stuttgart may nevertheless not be willing to let Stergiou go. The versatile defender will certainly come in handy once fit, particularly in light of the fact that central defenders Dan-Axel Zagadou and Luca Jaquez have been persistently struggling with injuries this year. VfB head coach Sebastian Hoeneß commented on the Stergiou matter at his pre-match press conference ahead of the forthcoming Bundesliga encounter against Hoffenheim. 

Hoeneß wishes to see more of Stergiou

“The fact is that Leo is spending far too little time on the pitch,” Hoeneß remarked on Thursday. “We need to discuss this together. It can’t go on like this in the long term, with him not getting any playing time.”

GGFN | Peter Weis