Mainz 05 have officially completed the permanent signing of Austria international Stefan Posch from Serie A side Como following the defender's successful six-month loan spell at the MEWA Arena. The 29-year-old returned to the Bundesliga in January and quickly established himself as an automatic starter under Urs Fischer. According to media reports, Mainz will pay Como approximately €4m for the Austrian international.
Get German Football News reported earlier this month that Mainz had opened negotiations with Como over bringing Posch back permanently . No purchase option had been included in the original loan agreement, meaning the two clubs were required to negotiate a fresh deal. Posch had made clear that he wanted to return to Mainz, while sporting director Christian Heidel confirmed that Como were prepared to discuss a transfer.
Posch started all 16 remaining Bundesliga fixtures after arriving from Como on January 22 and was substituted only once. Primarily deployed on the right side of Fischer's three-man defense, the versatile Austria n can also operate centrally or at right-back. He also made an impact during Mainz's European campaign, scoring in both the Conference League round of 16 and quarter-final.
The defender had only joined Como permanently from Bologna for approximately €5.5m in January before immediately moving to Mainz on loan. His permanent return therefore brings a complicated six-month transfer sequence to a conclusion. Mainz have not officially disclosed the length of Posch's new contract. Kickerreports that the deal runs for at least three years and may contain an option for an additional season.
"Poschi came to us last winter to put himself in contention for the World Cup with Austria and immediately helped us," Mainz sporting director Niko Bungert said. "Stefan integrated extremely quickly and immediately made us better. He is a versatile player with a wealth of experience in the Bundesliga and at international level. He demonstrated several times over the last six months what he can do and how important he can be for Mainz 05."
"Even though the sporting situation was difficult in the winter, I realised that Mainz 05 was perfect for me," Posch said. "It simply clicked immediately. I am very happy that I can continue to be part of this team and I am really looking forward to the new season. Things already worked very well with the group from last season after the winter, and now a few more guys with real quality have joined us."
