Asked about transfers like Haaland, he said: "The club and the entire region can be proud of these names. But times have changed. Ten years ago, there weren't as many clubs building on young players and generating corresponding transfer revenues. The competition is significantly greater, and we feel that."
Nevertheless, the club remains well aware of its own strengths and the great platform it can offer: early playing time at a high level.
Will there be further squad changes?
The sporting director is very pleased with the current squad. "We are very satisfied and were able to implement a lot. But it remains an ongoing process: we have players in the squad who might soon want to take the next step in the winter or next summer – we have to be prepared for that," Mann said.
The German caused a stir at the beginning of his tenure with comments about a lack of playing quality and a struggling work ethic at the club.
Reflecting on that today, he said: "I didn't want to attack anyone, but that had been a talking point for a long time. We had to raise the quality across all levels and change the mentality. The situation wasn't easy and was more complicated than I had thought."
Words that have borne fruit. Salzburg currently sit in second place, just three points behind leaders Rapid, and are the only unbeaten team in the league after twelve rounds.
