Press news in...

David Wagner's first press conference ahead of the new campaign will begin soon 🗣
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DW: "It was a good pre-season we had. Good training weeks, good tests against good opponents. We travelled a lot but I think the travel made it shorter."

DW: "We had a good pre-season, I prefer to come off the back of this rather than a poor pre-season.”

DW: "Now, in a competitive game, we need to be on the next level. The boys set the standards very high, their own demands in training are very high. The players came back in good condition so we could start at a high point."

DW on new signings: “I’m surprised how funny Ashley Barnes is. But no surprises, we have got lots out of them in the last six weeks. They are all good guys.”

DW: "The transfer window is open. I'm happy with the squad, but I will not lie to you, I expect some outs so that means players could come in."

DW: “10 to 12 teams are chasing for promotion and we are one of them.”

DW on injuries: “Grant (Hanley) is 3 months on since surgery, he is at the training ground everyday. Borja Sainz is out of his boot and we hope he will be back sooner than we initially expected. Tomkinson should be back in 2-3 weeks.”

DW: "Grant is doing very well, he's now three and a half months post-surgery. He has some months to go but he's doing very well, he's with us every day in the dressing room which is good. Borja is progressing very well, we hope he's back a little earlier.

DW: (On Max and Milot) "For them it's pre-season. They have to catch-up, they train with us but also have individual work to do. They won't be involved in the match squad."

DW: “There is no issues with Milot, he has been professional. I already have a relationship with Max from last season, but both are doing what I ask. Let’s see what happens in the next 3 weeks.”

DW: "Jacob Sorensen hasn’t reacted well to the injection, so he has been referred to a specialist."

*David Wagner confirms Christos Tzolis has been granted permission to speak to another club.

DW on replacing Tzolis with a new player: “Yeah, of course. You should never say never, we know Milot (Rashica) is still our player. I don’t like to speak about it, we can speak about it if something happens. I’m happy with our wide options.”

DW: (on the group): “I have been very rarely so confident about a group. The togetherness and unity is something I haven’t seen in the past, this is special. We have to show we can do it in competitive games. It’s too early to say where we’ll finish, I have a good feeling."

DW on squad fitness: “I think at the end of the day, the biggest outcome of our fitness will be when there is a lot of games in a week. Just as pre-season is over, we still have lots of work to do. We are not finished with fitness or tactics.”

DW: "The biggest outcome is in the period where there are a lot of games. We want to still be able to chase opponents when we have three weeks of midweek games. We are not finished in terms of our fitness and tactical input because pre-season is over."

DW: "I am confident about this group of characters, the togetherness, commitment, atmosphere. They have their own standards and demands. Now that the games have come, we have to show that."

DW: "I'm happy we have a game at home, the atmosphere has to be electric. The supporters want competitive football, they haven't seen us in a competitive game for a long time. Some new faces will be used and the players are looking forward to it as well."

DW on Hull City: “We know everything about Hull that we need to know. At the end of the day, it’s about us and being 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲. We must show togetherness to be successful.”

DW: “I went to Germany during the off-season. My wife has visited Norwich twice now, but she will stay in Germany. But she will visit once a month.”

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That concludes the first 'Press news in©' of the season. Hare we gew.

Posted By: DrDublin, Aug 3, 14:27:56