Jimmy Berisha, GC have lost their glamor as a posh club in recent years. Now they’re just the Wolverhampton farm team.
Jimmy Berisha: No, we are an innovative company. We have a partnership with a Premier League club – not many clubs in Switzerland can say that. We benefit incredibly from Wolverhampton’s resources. We could never pay some players otherwise.
Toti Gomes and Hayao Kawabe are just two players you never know if they’re there or not. Isn’t that a terrible situation for coach Giorgio Contini?
As I said, it’s an innovation. We have internationalized the whole thing. Toti trained in England in the summer and then came to us. It’s different with Kawabe. We signed him six months ago and have now been able to sell him to Wolverhampton. Everything went right there.
Sold to Wolverhampton? Nothing is charged internally when there is a partnership …
No, it is not. At the end of the day, I have to work with the president and the head of sport to ensure that we generate money from transfers. So it makes no sense to give away a player like Kawabe for free.
Means if Wolverhampton 1 million for one Player bids and another club 1.5m, will they win?
No, then I try to deal so that the other club pays 3 million. But basically Wolverhampton has a certain prerogative on the players. It’s not written down, but we have this philosophy in this partnership.
Jimmy Berisha persönlich
Shqiprim “Jimmy” Berisha was born in Kosovo in 1982. Shortly afterwards he came to Switzerland because his father worked in the construction industry here. He began his football career at FC Sempach, then played for FC Luzern and Concordia Basel. Berisha completed an apprenticeship as a chemistry laboratory assistant and worked as a scout and player consultant after his career. In 2018 he became sporting director at YF Juventus before moving to Grasshoppers as managing director in 2020. Berisha is married and the father of three children.
Shqiprim “Jimmy” Berisha was born in Kosovo in 1982. Shortly afterwards he came to Switzerland because his father worked in the construction industry here. He began his football career at FC Sempach, then played for FC Luzern and Concordia Basel. Berisha completed an apprenticeship as a chemistry laboratory assistant and worked as a scout and player consultant after his career. In 2018 he became sporting director at YF Juventus before moving to Grasshoppers as managing director in 2020. Berisha is married and the father of three children.
Who has the final say at GC when it comes to transfers?
We have a commission made up of the head of sport, the president, the coach and me. Together we will examine the positive and negative aspects. In the end it’s like in a marriage, you sometimes try to make a compromise so that everything works out.
And if you have to fire a trainer. Who decides that?
President Sky Sun. But he doesn’t do it alone, we analyze it together. But the final decision is his.
And the Chinese investors? Does Jenny Wang also have influence?
What does influence mean? We have a good relationship with her and contact every now and then. But above all Sky Sun is in lively exchange with her.
Why has Wang never been to Zurich?
Because of Corona.
That sounds like an excuse…
That may be. But the fact is that the Chinese take Corona very seriously. The President, for example, has never left the country since the pandemic began.
How did the China deal come about in the first place?
A friend of mine worked at Chelsea when José Mourinho was manager. He called me because his nephew wanted to come to Switzerland for a trial session. I brought him to GC. He didn’t stay, but he raved about us at home. That’s how the company of Jorge Mendes (player consultant for Cristiano Ronaldo, editor’s note) became aware of us. Ultimately, this cooperation resulted in the China deal.
CEO Berisha im Blick Kick: This anecdote is at the origin of GC’s China deal(02:53)
How many millions went into the takeover?
Many many. I don’t want to talk about numbers, but I can say this much: GC wasn’t cheap.
GC is record champion. When will the Hoppers celebrate title number 28?
We want as far as possible to come and dream is always nice. But priority number 1 is to stay in the league. We do everything for that.
What does as far as possible mean?
To where GC used to be and much further. Basel and YB have done it, they have been involved in Europe for years. That’s our goal.
Jimmy Berisha speaks plain language: CEO on the future of GC(26:00)
The pride of once far away: “It’s never been as bad as it is now with GC”(01:24)
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