SV Elversberg - injuries & suspensions October 2026

SV Elversberg: 2026/27 season preview

SV Elversberg begin the 2026/2027 season as newcomers to the Bundesliga. The club from a small town in Saarland have been promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history. As recently as the 2021/2022 season, they were playing in the Regionalliga Südwest; a few years later, they are among Germany’s 18 best teams. They secured direct promotion by finishing second in the 2. Bundesliga. Elversberg scored 64 goals in the previous campaign, the most in the league, and finished the season with 62 points.

Vincent Wagner was responsible for that achievement, having replaced Horst Steffen before the 2025/2026 season. The 40-year-old coach led the team to a historic promotion in his first year in charge. Now he must prepare them for a significantly higher level of competition.

The club remains true to its philosophy

After promotion, Elversberg did not opt for a major squad overhaul. The club still wants to develop young players by giving them regular first-team football. In previous years, Nick Woltemade and Fisnik Asllani, among others, followed a similar path.

The summer signings fit this model well. 19-year-old Frenchman Francis Onyeka joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, Noah Darvich arrived from VfB Stuttgart, and Maurice Krattenmacher from Bayern Munich. Elversberg also signed Noel Futkeu from Eintracht Frankfurt and Luca Sirch from Kaiserslautern. Most of the new arrivals previously trained at the academies of major German clubs, but need regular senior-level appearances.

Campbell the most expensive signing

The club’s biggest investment was the signing of Cole Campbell from Borussia Dortmund. The 20-year-old American, who had previously been on loan at Hoffenheim, signed a deal until 2030. The attacking player can feature in several positions, and his strengths include pace and one-on-one ability. Elversberg have long-term plans for him.

Łukasz Poręba has also joined the club permanently. The Polish midfielder spent the previous season on loan at Elversberg from HSV and quickly became an important part of the team. The club exercised its option to buy and signed him to a contract until 2029.

The core of the team remains

Among the players who secured promotion, Lukas Petkov remains a key figure. The Bulgarian winger scored 13 goals and registered 7 assists in 34 2. Bundesliga matches. Tom Zimmerschied, Luca Schnellbacher and Luca Pfeiffer have also stayed in attack. Noel Futkeu, who scored 20 goals for Greuther Fürth last season, is set to compete for a place up front.

Nicolas Kristof remains an experienced presence. The goalkeeper played every minute of the promotion-winning season. Jan Gyamerah, Maximilian Rohr and Amara Condé are also in the squad. In midfield, alongside Poręba, are players including Felix Keidel and Frederik Schmahl. Keidel caught the eye early in the 2026/2027 season. He became the first Elversberg player to be called up to the Germany national team.

Bundesliga debut

Elversberg enter the Bundesliga without abandoning the model that has taken them from the fourth tier to Germany’s top flight in just a few years. The squad was bolstered over the summer mainly with young players previously linked to bigger clubs, while the team retained the players responsible for its historic promotion.

The biggest challenge for Vincent Wagner and his team now will be to test this style of play at a much higher level. Campbell, Darvich, Onyeka, Krattenmacher and Futkeu are expected to develop in their new surroundings, while Petkov and Kristof are among the group of players who will take to Bundesliga pitches for the first time in the club’s history.