Haas heads east

By Raimund Fabi

The departure of Austrian international striker Mario Haas for Japanese side JEF United proved the big surprise of the January transfer window in Austria.

Second departure
The SK Sturm Graz player left the Bundesliga for a second time, having previously played in France with RC Strasbourg, to join the team coached by his former Sturm boss, Ivica Osim. Haas signed a two-year deal with JEF with the option of a third term. Sturm's response to losing the 30-year-old was to land young striker Roland Linz on loan from FK Austria Wien.

Rapid misery
League leaders SK Rapid Wien had a difficult month, meanwhile. Goalkeeper Jürgen Macho and Marcin Adamski both left the club, and then 29-year-old Slovakian Jozef Valachovic, their major winter signing from FC Slovan Liberec, broke his leg on his first appearance, in the traditional Hallencup indoor tournament in Vienna.

UEFA Cup contenders
Austria's UEFA Cup contenders both made additions to their squads, however, with new FK Austria general manager Toni Polster overseeing the captures of Polish international Sebastian Mila from Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski and Czech Adam Petrouš from Russia's FC Rubin Kazan. Grazer AK, for their part, added three players - Latvian international Imants Bleidelis, Gambian Pa Saiko Kujabi and Thomas Lechner from lower league outfit Kapfenberg SV.

Salzburg spree
SV Austria Salzburg were the busiest side in the January sales, though, recruiting no fewer than seven players. Their biggest buy was 32-year-old Croatian international defender Mamir Milinovic, who arrived from NK Dinamo Zagreb on a two-year deal. Salzburg also saw Austrian international Andreas Ibertsberger leave for Germany's SC Freiburg.