A German Blitz that England should wish for
Mandatory Credit: Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports
It is no secret to the Footballing world that the Barclays Premier League has become the preferred destination for the majority of players throughout their career. The combination massive amounts of money as well as weekly competition in arguably the world’s top league, the drawing power of the BPL is second to none. Despite this, we still have yet to see a blitz (yes this pun is intentional) of top German talent cross the Channel to English shores. The stability of the Bundesliga is quite admirable and should be a model for all other leagues to follow – despite their lack of money, the Bundesliga is still very heavily supported. It prides itself on a league for the fans here said fans are greatly appreciated.
While some of these scenarios may play out and others most certainly will not, I would like to take a look at some of the talented young players in Germany – players that we all should hope grace the pitches of England’s biggest clubs in the coming years.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Goalkeeper; Borussia Monchengladbach)
Many BPL fans may have never heard of this young keeper, but there is a reason why the standard narrative is “no one does keepers better than the Germans”, and ter Stegen is no different. He is highly rated in the Bundesliga and many see him as Neuer’s equal on the domestic front. Already a full German international, he is only just 21 years old which when you think about it, gives him nowhere to go but to the stratosphere. Incredibly agile with a strong command of the box, there is speculation that he will be leaving Monchengladbach in the near future – if not in this current window, certainly this summer. Reports from the Metro indicate that his current club is prepared to let him leave for just 7million pounds and he is being linked with a move to Barcelona or Arsenal, with the Catalan giants showing supreme interest. While he may not end up in England, ter Stegen could have easily replicated the legacy of another top class German keeper who played in the BPL, Jens Lehmann – well, you know, just hopefully without the disciplinary problems.
David Alaba (Left Back, Defensive Midfielder; Bayern Munich)
Despite his tender age of just 21, everyone has heard of this gem of a footballer. Alaba is not German however, he is Austrian – the unfortunate chances of him never playing in a European Championship or a World Cup are slim due to that fact, but never the less he is already a world class talent. Making his debut for Austria’s full national team at the age of 17 (an Austrian record), many already consider him the best left-back in the world. Strong on the ball, excellent going forward and capable of delivering top quality set pieces, the future is supremely bright for him. He has spent his full professional career with Bayern (moved to Bavaria at aged 17 from Austria Wien) thus far and “one-club men” are far more prevalent in Germany than they are in the BPL, but the fact that he has now won all he possibly could with the German club, he could very easily want to move to a new league for a fresh challenge. The problem, however, is that every top club in Europe would almost go as far as selling their first born to acquire his services. If you think Ashley Cole stamped his name on the position with his time at Arsenal and Chelsea, you should hope Alaba ends up in England – he would truly amaze.
Ilkay Gundogan (Defensive Midfielder, Center Midfielder; Borussia Dortmund)
In 2011, this German born (Turkish parents) midfielder was not well known outside of Germany – in fact there was not too much known about him inside of Germany when he made the switch from FC Nurnberg to Dortmund; that would soon change. Today Gundogan is one of the hottest properties on the continent and he frequently is linked with moves to the Spanish capital, as well as to the red side of Manchester – he is not short of suitors who covet his signature. One of the most complete midfielders in the Bundesliga and on the continent proper, Gundogan has an incredible skillset for a central player. If you still do not know much about him, think of him as a more athletic version of Steven Gerrard in his prime – an incredible engine, excellent vision from multiple areas of the pitch, a howitzer of a shot (though it does lack the accuracy that Gerrard possessed) and the ability to deliver expertly in set-piece situations. Recent speculation has linked him to a high profile move to United as the club desperately seeks to bring in reinforcements to turn their fortunes around this campaign. With the likes of Mario Gotze and now Robert Lewandowski either out the door or soon to be from Dortmund, combined with speculation that Marco Reus may be on the move this summer to the BPL, it could be a very real event that see’s Gundogan make the switch to England as well – though Real Madrid are very high on him and would have a say in the matter.
Thomas Muller (Attacking Midfielder, Striker; Bayern Munich)
The Weilheim born attacking player is one of the most under-rated players you’ll find at his position, which personally boggles my mind. Muller has made a name for himself at Bayern, known for him all around strong play and being able to be deployed in multiple positions in multiple situations. The winner of the Young Player of the Year in the 2010 World Cup as well as the tournaments Golden Boot winner, Muller still does not win critical acclaim from many. He boasts an excellent goal/game ratio, which sits at 1/3 for both club and country (52 in 150 for Bayern and 16 in 47 for Germany), but it is his second to none work ethic that is his strongest attribute. He is always in the right place at the right time when making runs into the box, not afraid to track back in the defensive third of the pitch and is strong in the air – plays as if he was a box to box midfielder rather than an attacking player. He reminds me a lot of Dirk Kuyt with the skill set that he possesses, further indication to me that he would be a hit in the BPL. There never has been speculation of Muller leaving the Bavarian giants – he has been there since age 11 and appears to be incredibly loyal to the club, but what an impact he would make if he were ever to come to England.
Marco Reus (Attacking Midfielder; Borussia Dortmund)
Everyone in the footballing world knows exactly who Marco Reus is, but it took a move to his hometown club of Borussia Dortmund for that to become the reality. Reus is Dortmund born and began his career locally before joining the Dortmund youth ranks. After moving to Monchengladbach and finding his feet under manager Lucien Favre, he returned to Dortmund during the winter transfer window in 2012 – a move that has made him a player known worldwide with his domestic success at Dortmund as well as their famous run to the Champions League final despite their loss to domestic rivals Bayern Munich. Reus is truly gifted with the ball at his feet, and for a player who predominantly plays out wide, he is an excellent finisher. A full German international with a cemented place in Joachim Low’s starting XI, he is a real gem for club and country. However like most of Dortmund’s top players lately, an exodus from the club may be on the cards for him as well. Gathering attention from both England and Spain, with the departure of Gotze and now Lewandowski, he recently went on record saying he would never go to Bayern, but did not guarantee he would stay in Dortmund. Both Man United and Arsenal have expressed interest while Man City this season have done the same – Reus could easily find himself in a power struggle for his signature this summer and we should all hope he chooses to come to the BPL as he very easily would be one of the best wide players around.
Julian Draxler (Attacking midfielder; Schalke)
In the Schalke system since the age of eight, Draxler is arguably the hottest property in European football currently and with justifiable reasons. If you have not seen Draxler play, you can compare him to Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, however Draxler is more versatile, better in one-on-one situations (hard to believe since Hazard is quality in those situations) and is more creative with the same eye for goal that the Belgian possesses. Draxler is also built more physically, which makes him even more of a threat as simply going in hard on him does not deter him as it would a smaller player. He is the current German wunderkind who has everyone in his country singing his praises seemingly each weekend after he puts in a shift – he is a truly gifted footballer who has it all at his finger tips, which makes the next step in his career crucial to his development as well as the considerations of the German national team at stake. He is heavily linked with a move to Arsenal either this month or over the summer (something that makes this die-hard Gunners supporter giddy just thinking about), which makes his arrival in England seemingly the most believable of all the players we have discussed – he even reportedly toured Arsenal’s training facilities at London Colney and was reported to be very impressed. His potential price tag would be the only stumbling block, an estimated 40million if not higher. There has not been a German to come to England and truly set the world alight since Jurgen Klinsmann in the 94-95 season with Tottenham – should Draxler make the dash across the Channel and link up with Arsene Wenger, watch out world.
Lastly I would like to apologize for the lack of content lately – Holidays have a habit of getting in the way of work from time to time (especially when family is involved – naturally I mean that comically). With the New Year here, there will be constant content covering a variety of topics that we feel you will truly enjoy. As always, do not be afraid to contact us in any number of ways if there are topics you would like to read about that we are not covering. Thank you for sticking with us, have a happy new year and I look forward to discussing more with you about the greatest sport in the world.