Zimbo, you recently became a father again – congratulations! That was also the reason you only watched the match against Wolfsburg, in which Kevin Trapp got injured and Kaua Santos came on for the second half, on TV. What were your thoughts on the match?
“The moment that Kevin took the goal kick, my first thought was: he needs to go off. I felt very sorry for him. I was relaxed when Kaua came on, it’s not like we’ve only been working together since yesterday. I was pleased to see him in a Bundesliga match.”
Kaua Santos came to Frankfurt in summer 2023 from the Flamengo U20s. How did you become aware of him?
“We regularly look at specific age groups around the world. He stood out to us in a very positive way. We scouted him live, I also had several online meetings with him and got a very positive impression.”
What impressed you when you were scouting him?
“Above all, I look at the qualities that can’t be trained. I know what I can teach and convey to the players here, but the untrainable qualities shouldn’t be ignored: his attitude to the game, his reading of the game, his movement and agility. I’ve not even mentioned the basics, which need to be there anyway. And when all of that comes together, it fits for us.”
We've been working with Kaua for a year now and are confident in him.
Goalkeeping coach Jan Zimmermann
Being Brazilian, he appears to be very cool and calm on the ball.
“That’s right, his Brazilian mentality helps him with that. It could also become a danger, though, so I have a job as an admonisher there. He’s not used to the Bundesliga in that respect, you can’t take every risk. He needs to find the right balance.”
He’s set for his full debut at a sold-out Deutsche Bank Park against Borussia Mönchengladbach. How do you prepare a young boy like him for that
“I’ve been preparing him for that since he’s been here. Our training pitches lie in the shadows of the stadium – you have to perform there. In Kevin, he’s got a textbook example to look up to. He’s our captain, has been delivering consistent performances for years – and they’re things I can put to good use.
“Now more than ever for Kaua, he needs to perform, not overthink things. That’s what counts. We’ve been preparing for this for a year. He has the skills. He’ll make mistakes as a young player but he’ll also show a lot of good things. We've been working with Kaua for a year now and are confident in him.”
