Austria Vienna sign rookie striker
Austria Vienna signed Under-19s national team ace Andreas Tiffner.Club bosses said today (Thurs) the 19-year-old striker will join them from third-league club Blau-Weiß Linz. They added Tiffner who netted 10 times in 25 matches last season signed a two-year deal with an option on another season.Club executive manager Thomas Parits said: “Im convinced he will make us stronger.”Austria Vienna who recently started preparing for the upcoming season only reached a 3-3 draw against Lower Austrian regional league side SKU Amstetten yesterday.ÖFB Cup winners Sturm Graz meanwhile crushed Styrian amateur league side 7-0.Sports newspapers report today LASK Linz will not extend the contract of midfielder Jürgen Panis. His team mate Thomas Prager who is also expected to leave the team of Helmut Kraft has been linked to German Bundesliga side SC Freiburg. Rapid Vienna however also signalled interest in the midfielder.Champions Red Bull Salzburg, who signed national team midfielder Jakob Jantscher from Sturm Graz and keeper Alexander Walke from German club Hansa Rostock, reportedly consider selling striker Marc Janko to Dutch champions Twente Enschede.Janko, whose contract runs until 2013, caused a stir by criticising “Bulls” coach Huub Stevens in a newspaper interview weeks ahead of last seasons decision. Experts said Janko was worth around five million Euros.Several top clubs of the Spanish and English top-flight leagues targeted the 26-year-old after he scored 39 goals in the 2008/2009 season. Janko however decided to stay at Red Bull to show his gratitude towards club bosses for not letting him down after a serious injury.The 2010/2011 Austrian Bundesliga season starts on the weekend of 17 July, but Red Bull are set to enter the qualification stage for the UEFA Champions League the previous weekend. Rapid and vice champions Austria Vienna are due to play in the UEFA Europa League at the same time.