Stuttgart general manager Horst Heldt was delighted to welcome Pavel Pogrebnyak to his club after the Russia international passed a medical.

The 25-year-old has joined for an undisclosed fee from Russian side Zenit St Petersburg on a four-year contract and will take the place in the Stuttgart attack left vacant following the sale of Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich.

''We are delighted that it has worked out,'' said Heldt. ''He fulfils precisely the profile that we were looking for. He is a target man, just like Mario Gomez.''

Heldt denied reports that the 25-year-old had cost his side a third of the 30m euros they had earned from the sale of Gomez, saying the fee was ''in the region of five million''.

''We said that we would not do anything crazy,'' explained Heldt on DSF television.

''Pavel only had six months left on his contract so 10m would have clearly been too much.''

Since Stuttgart have managed to sign Pogrebnyak relatively cheaply, Heldt would not rule out making any more signings this summer after the club also agreed a one-year loan deal with Barcelona for Alexander Hleb last week.

''Theoretically, we could make some more additions,'' he said. ''The window is open until the end of August and we will leave this opportunity open to us.''

Pogrebnyak was heading back to Russia to obtain a work permit and he is due back in Germany on Monday when he will be officially presented as a Stuttgart player.


[Soccernet]

Eighteen World War II bombs have been found under the pitch during a makeover of the home stadium of German football club VfB Stuttgart.

Most of the bombs unearthed on Saturday were harmless and there was never a danger to players or fans, a Stuttgart spokesman said.

Munitions experts removed the bombs on Saturday, but there was a possibility that more might be discovered as work continued, the spokesman added.

Mercedes-Benz Arena is being transformed from a general purpose stadium to football ground, which requires lowering the pitch and tearing up the athletics track alongside it.


[AAP via The Age]

Mario Gomez has every reason to smile.

VfB Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez will join Bayern Munich in a deal that could make him the most expensive Bundesliga player ever.

Both clubs and the player confirmed they had agreed a deal that media have estimated will be worth about €30m. This would be the biggest in German league history.

Manchester United paid €25m for Owen Hargreaves in 2007.

"I am looking forward to Bayern," Gomez told the club website at the start of an Asian tour with the German national team. "The club is something special. I want to compete for the championship with it and look forward to the Champions League."

Gomez scored 24 times for Stuttgart this season, a personal best, and has long been on Bayern's shopping list. He also won the 2007 championship with Stuttgart.

The move could increase the chances of Bayern playmaker Franck Ribery staying on.

Ribery, courted by most major European clubs, has repeatedly called on Bayern to buy other players to create a more competitive team.

"We managed to hold on to him twice," Stuttgart manager Horst Heldt said about Gomez. "But he has now decided on a change. The fact is that if Bayern meet our conditions then the transfer will be complete in a few days.

The 23-year-old German, whose father is from Spain, has won 23 caps for Germany, scoring six goals, the last more than a year ago.

Gomez said he understood why some Stuttgart fans would be surprised that he was joining rivals Bayern.

"But I hope they will fondly remember the amazing times we lived through together," he added.

The deal only became possible after Bayern clinched the second Bundesliga spot leading to automatic Champions League qualification, guaranteeing them several million euros worth of added revenues.

Bayern confirmed their interest hours after grabbing the spot with a 2-1 win against Stuttgart on Saturday.

"We are delighted that Mario Gomez has decided to join us," said Bayern General Director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "He is a first class striker, one of the best in Germany."

Bayern have already signed Anatoliy Tymoschuk from Zenit St. Petersburg, Ivica Olic from Hamburg SV and Alexander Baumjohann from Borussia Moenchengladbach.


[Soccernet]

VfL Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has been around too long to just sit back and enjoy watching his players clinch their first Bundesliga title on Saturday with a win over Werder Bremen on the last matchday (1330 GMT).

With a two-point lead over record champions Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart going into the last match, a win will guarantee the Bundesliga title and even a draw or a defeat could be enough to clinch it.

Magath, used to success on the big stage as player and coach, is in no mood for early celebrations, however, demanding that his players keep their focus and close their eyes to the green-and-white decorations already on show in the city streets and squares.

"We are not yet sucking on the candy," Magath warned this week, after sending off Daniel Adlung during training for what the strict disciplinarian perceived as lack of commitment in practice.

"We must stay focused for another 90 minutes. If we play half as good as in the last two matches then it should be enough," Magath said.

It will be hard for Wolfsburg to actually lose the title in what has been the most gripping season finale in years.

With a near-perfect home record of 15 wins and a draw in 16 games, the match against Bremen, fresh from their UEFA Cup final defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk and ahead of the May 30 German Cup final, should be straightforward.

Even second-placed Bayern are now only hoping for a miracle, similar to the one in 2001 when a last-gasp goal against Hamburg SV won them the title as Schalke 04 were already celebrating.

This time, though, matters are not entirely in Bayern's hands.

The champions face Stuttgart (1330), direct competitors, who would be more than happy to settle for second place and win automatic Champions League qualification.

"I don't want to think about the title. Second spot is realistic even though we have a Herculean task," said Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel, a former Bayern player.

Stuttgart have salvaged what looked like a lost season, with Babbel taking over in late November and guiding them up the table. A win in Munich would be the crowning achievement of his first season as Bundesliga coach before even obtaining the proper coaching licence.

"The dice have been cast by 99.5 percent," Bayern General Manager Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. "The title is in Wolfsburg's hands and I do not see them dropping it. If we are second after the game against Stuttgart we will be happy with the season."


[Reuters via Soccernet]

Former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has signed a one-year extension to his contract with Bundesliga side Stuttgart.

The 39-year-old's current deal was due to expire in the summer, but he will now play on for another year.

''VfB (Stuttgart) are a well-run club with great fans and a positive environment,'' Lehmann said at a press conference on Friday.

''I enjoy playing here. I am looking forward to next season, but now we are concentrating on finishing the present campaign as successfully as possible.''

Lehmann had previously said his decision to play on depended on whether Stuttgart would be able to offer him European football next season.

With nine games of the season remaining, the 2007 Bundesliga champions sit just outside of the top five and are on course for a place in the inaugural Europa League.

Lehmann joined Stuttgart on a free transfer from Arsenal last summer, initially on a one-year deal.