Basel: Ádám Szalai has an important role to play not only on the pitch

– As of Tuesday evening, no news had been leaked about the signing of Ádám Szalai. When did the Hungarian national team forward come into the picture?
– We've been checking him out for a long time because we were looking for a character like him – said Philipp Kaufmann, who's been FC Basel's manager since June. – Last May, the management changed, so as the long-term concept. Our strategy is to build talented young players into the first team and develop them to the level where they can sign for a European top league within three or four years. For this, we also need experienced footballers who bring quality on the pitch but also can help young people with their personality, mentality, training and experience. On the one hand, Ádám Szalai is perfect in this area, and on the other hand, we needed a classic central attacker who is strong, keeps the ball well, and can build attacks even with his back facing the goal.

– From the outside, it looked like a last-minute deal had been reached. Was that true, or did you manage to keep the negotiations secret for weeks?
– If that was the case, we did our job well. Ádám Szalai has played for 12 years in the Bundesliga, he was also highly appreciated in Mainz, which obviously made the negotiations easier. He had a few months left on his contract, we offered him a longer-term deal, and he had enough respect at the club to accept his request and let him go to us. We had a fair negotiation with him, Mainz and his agent, and finally, we managed to register before the end of the deadline.

– Does a 34-year-old player mean an old or experienced footballer in your eyes?
– There is no old and young person in football; there are only those who can and cannot help. Our long-term plans include building top players, but we need people who help them. For this reason, Ádám Szalai's role will be much more than strengthening the team in the weekend matches. We want him to guide young people, set an example for them because a personality like his is very rare. He speaks German fluently, and thanks to his years in Madrid, he also speaks Spanish. Therefore, he can communicate with both domestic and foreign players, which was obviously another aspect to consider.

– Another Hungarian footballer, 17-year-old Zsombor Gruber, is also at FC Basel. The forward arrived on loan from Puskás Akadémia in the summer. What is the long-term objective in his case?
– His case is obviously completely different. We'd watched him for months, and last summer, before the Újpest-Basel European Conference League match, I met him and his family in person in Budapest. It is important not only to talk to the footballer but also to get to know those who raised him, to whom the child listens. We signed him because he is a talented player with a great opportunity, and we want to integrate him into the first team in the long term. We decided to sign a one-year loan because every child reacts differently to being in a new environment, a new team, and to the different training methods. He has never lived abroad before, so he first joined the U18 team and now he is preparing with the U21s. One year is enough to evaluate the player, and we will discuss in the summer what the next step might be for him.

– How do you build up a 17-year-old player so he can remain in the first-team locker room?
– At FC Basel, academic training is the heart of everything. That's where you have to do a good job, develop talents and challenge them every day. We are trying to gather young players from the area, Switzerland and Europe, who have the quality, and they can get the last part of their training before we throw them into the deep water. After that, they get experience in the first team for two or three years, during which time they get to know the atmosphere of adult football in Basel. If their development is unbroken, sooner or later, they will reach a level that will benefit both the club and the player.

– In the squad, Swiss players are mostly over 30 years old, while foreigners are mostly in their early 20s, and you want to sell the latter to European top leagues. The concept is similar to that of RB Salzburg.
– The Swiss topflight ensures development, but the majority of players do not see it as a final destination. Accordingly, FC Basel is also a kind of educational association. Our aim for Western teams is to consider us as a club that produces quality footballers. In the current transfer season, we have sold players to Lille, Fiorentina, and Valencia, and new talents have arrived in place of the departing players. This process should work as a cycle.

– Don't fans get angry when you sell the best players?
– Our fans are fantastic, they love football all over the city, and we can count on them for everything. If they see us selling one of our best players, but instead, a young player of similar quality comes from the youth team and the squad is in competition for the league title, then there is nothing to be dissatisfied about.

– In the previous decade, the club won eight league titles in a row but has not finished top of the league since 2017. What has changed in the last five years?
– Four and a half years ago, the management was transformed, and there were some other changes at the club last summer, too. This season is about redesigning the team with many new players coming in during the summer and winter transfer windows. However, our goal is to win the league again.

– What is your goal this season?
– First-place Zurich is on fire ahead of Young Boys and us, so in the remaining rounds, we will focus on ourselves and winning as many games as possible. We also want to advance as far as possible in the Conference League.

Translated by Vanda Orosz.