The future of Erfurt's crowd favorite Artur Mergel (26) is still open! The club has not yet made an offer to the attacker, and no conversation with the agent has yet taken place. But: Coach Fabian Gerber (44) is now advocating for Mergel! "We know what we have in him, sat together two weeks ago, analyzed the sporting situation, also talked about the perspective", says the RWE coach. Fact is: Even in the next season it will only be about staying in the class for Erfurt. Too little for Mergel? Gerber wants to keep him. Because: "He is a top performer, a leader. He is a type that is good for any team." And yet Mergel is one of the top earners. "The art is now to stem that", explains Gerber.