Brammer’s Blog

The news that Heinz Muller has departed back to his homeland is disappointing but not surprising.

With Luke Steele taking the German’s No.1 spot at the end of last term – and subsequently signing a new 2 year contract – indicated that Heinz would be seeking pastures new. There was no way the club were going to keep two keepers of their calibre happy. In fact I’m surprised we have got this far before one of them departed.

Some fans are suggesting that the rumoured £600k transfer fee is inadequate for a player of Heinz’s quality, but to put it into perspective he is 31 years old, he would have been available for free at the end of the coming campaign, and we will have a healthy return on the original transfer fee we paid, which will aid Simon Davey in rebuilding the squad.

There is no doubt that Heinz will go with best wishes from Reds fans. He put in some outstanding performances for the club and became a cult hero at Oakwell. I suppose the stand-out memory is of his last minute penalty save against Preston the season before last. Unfortunately within weeks of that performance he suffered a serious knee injury, which he never seemed to fully recover from. It was most noticeable in his wayward kicking, and last season he struggled to recapture his early form. He was never quite the commanding and assured presence he had been in his first season.

That said, I would still rank him amongst the best goalies I’ve seen at Oakwell (along with the likes of Dave Watson and Steele) and I’m sure he will do a great job for Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga. Good luck to him.

With both Heinz and Kyle Letheren leaving Oakwell that means we have only one senior goalkeeper in the squad, so it would appear Simon Davey will need to recruit someone to compete with Luke Steele. Or perhaps after his Masters’ performances Kelham O’Hanlon fancies himself to make a comeback?!