An amazing twist on exchange poker involving Patrick Bentz. Instead of moving to the Colorado Rapids in America, the ÖFB teammate was lured to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
Austrian national football goalkeeper Patrick Bentz is moving to Bayer Leverkusen. The Bundesliga club made the announcement on Friday afternoon.
???? #Bayer04 Patrick forces Bentz!
The 26-year-old Austrian goalkeeper comes from @StadeDeReims And has signed a contract till 2025.
Welcome to Leverkusen, Patrick! ????More on this ????https://t.co/2GCzDSuaKN
– Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04fussball) January 27, 2023
The 26-year-old from Salzburg turned down a potential move to the Colorado Rapids at the last second, joining Bayer Leverkusen instead. The contract with the Bundesliga club was already signed on Friday. At the Werkself, the former Austrian will replace regular goalie Lukas Hradecki and is slated to be the clear No. 2, as previous backup Russian Andrey Lunev will be out long-term with an injury.
“Patrick is a strong footballer with good reflexes and brings with him a lot of experience and competitive training. We are excited about the opportunity to acquire an ambitious keeper at a high level at short notice, with whom we will be well positioned for the future,” says sporting director Simon Rolfes about the former Austrian.
Benz is also very happy about the move to Germany: “As an Austrian, the Bundesliga definitely appeals to me, many guys play here. And with Bayer 04 Leverkusen I now have the opportunity to play in a top 4 club. Leave your talents.”
An unfortunate engagement in France
Benz moved from Vienna Austria to Stade Reims in the summer, but was not happy in France. After seven league appearances at the start of the season, Bentz has been on the bench since September. He should be more willing to do so in the German Bundesliga than with a mid-tier organization in the French Ligue 1. Leverkusen reportedly tried to sign Benz mainly because of his footballing qualities. The four-time ÖFB international, most recently in an international against France (0-2) in September, will be a different goalkeeper than established, tall regular goalie Hradecky.
Benz’s contract at Reims runs until the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club also announced this contract period. Benz is under contract with the Werkself until the summer of 2025.
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