WERDER.DE: Despite recent good results, Werder remain in the relegation places. What do you think of their current table standing?
Sandro Wagner: “I think they will get out of the drop zone as they always do because they have such quality in their team. The club has so far remained calm and plus with those fans there’s no way you can’t be motivated when you go out onto that pitch. They are amongst the best fans in the Bundesliga, that’s for sure. I think that if it weren’t for the fans, Werder would have probably gone down already. They have an incredible spirit down there. When you are travelling to the ground and you get hit by the ‘green wave’, it always gives me goosebumps.”
WERDER.DE: Many times over your career, you have switched clubs in the January transfer window. What differences are there between a transfer in January as opposed to in the summer?
Sandro Wagner: “For sure it’s a bit colder on your first day of training (laughs). However this time, I joined up with the team out in Qatar, which was nice. In summer you definitely have more time to adjust whereas in winter the fixtures come thick and fast. You have to make an impact as soon as you get there instead of affording yourself time to settle in.”
WERDER.DE: Taking a look forward now. This summer, we have the World Cup; a dream for any international player. What would it mean for you to be a part of that squad?
Sandro Wagner: “For every footballer the World Cup is the pinnacle, and I’m exactly the same. To play for the national team is a massive honour and something I will have to work hard towards. It’s always a massive occasion to play for Germany and over the past year I feel as though I’ve played well and managed to score a few in the qualifiers. So I am confident that I will get my chance over in Russia and what an honour it will be to play there. But we still have the whole of the second half of the season to go. There are also a lot of good attacking-players in Germany, so I can’t wait to see who makes the squad. I will give everything to get my opportunity as I feel I’ll only have myself to blame if I don’t have a seat on that plane.”