Paul Wanner has been the subject of incredible scrutiny and attention from a very young age. At just the age of 12, the biggest clubs in Germany courted the pre-teen for a chance to sign him, with Wanner choosing the biggest of them all in Bayern Munich. Since then, he as consistently labeled the crown jewel of the academy, with the hype building to an incredible crescendo when Wanner made his Bundesliga debut for Bayern at just 16 years of age.
Given all of that attention, it is hardly surprising that the former Ravensburg youngster has sought to avoid the excessive attention at less glamorous locations. Wanner admits the hype was something he looked to avoid:
“I think it was a lot, especially at the beginning, and it did me a lot of good to get out of my usual environment and just take a new step. Elversberg was a top option at first. There wasn’t much media attention around it, so you could work in peace and just play football. Heidenheim is a similar place,” Wanner assesses, via Sky Sports. “That helps all players – especially young ones.”
But life is never that simple. Wanner nonetheless found himself in the headlines as the news that he rejected a call up from Julian Nagelsmann to the senior Germany team spread like a wildfire, amid a decision he needs to make between representing Austria or Germany. When asked about this, Wanner suggests he has not earned a spot in the senior team yet:
“I think you can see that I want to do everything step by step. And that’s why I want to carry on playing for the U-21s as normal. There’s a European Championship next summer, which I’m really looking forward to. And I want to work and play for everything – step by step.”
Subsequently, the discussion veers away from Wanner himself and to Heidenheim-specifically to their double header of big games against Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and Chelsea FC in the Conference League. After a few weeks of bad results, the club and Wanner will be looking to turn things around:
“The start [to the season] was very good. Now we are in a bit of a weak phase, which we are trying to get out of. We have to get points and then it doesn’t matter who we do it against. But of course it is something special for me, and also for the whole club, when such a big opponent as Chelsea comes to Heidenheim. Nevertheless, we want to give it our all.”
Despite their relative struggles in the Bundesliga, Heidenheim are perfect in the Conference League. And they will want to keep it that way, even when Premier League opposition come to give them their sternest challenge yet.
