Mainz 05 remain largely pleased with the manner in which Paul Nebel has stepped his game up in Nadiem Amiri’s absence. Mainz sporting director Niko Bungert singled the Germany U21 international out for special praise last week after he set up a Sheraldo Becker goal in a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
Nebel didn’t get his name on the scoresheet in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Stuttgart, but did turn in an eye-catching performance in just his second start in six weeks. Nebel registered two shots on goal and assisted on four efforts. The 23-year-old was impactful with 50 touches and played 30 passes.
Reliable sources such as Sport Bild and others report that Nebel – disappointed with his playing time at Mainz this season – is considering following former M05 teammate Jonathan Burkardt over to Rhein rivals Eintracht Frankfurt. There’s also the matter of Nebel’s national allegiance.
Nebel – capped 14 times at U21 level for Germany – still awaits his first senior men’s call-up. The Bad Nauheim native remains eligible to represent Ireland through his maternal grandmother and re-opened the door to this possibility this summer now that his U21 career is over.
As pertains to both of these potential shifts, much depends on whether or not Nebel can once again become a relevant force for Mainz in the coming weeks. Mainz head coach Urs Fischer gave a candidly mixed opinion of Nebel’s performance at the post-match press conference.
“It was definitely a striking performance,” Fischer remarked in response to a direct question about Nebel at the presser. “I would classify it as a good game. There were some moments in which he should have scored. He needed to be a little more determined.
“[Had he taken them] I would be claiming that he had a ‘very good’ game,” Fischer continued. “But overall, he kept his feet in the game and did very well.“
