Sesko and Ekitiké look to buck trend of ex-Bundesliga forwards struggling after big transfers
Sesko and his fellow Premier League arrival from the Bundesliga, Liverpool's Hugo Ekitiké, will need to buck a recent trend of highly rated forwards from the German league struggling after they leave.
Another with something to prove is Mathys Tel, whose move to Tottenham from Bayern Munich was made permanent despite scoring just two goals in 13 Premier League games on loan last season.
Of course, Erling Haaland smashed records as soon as he arrived in the Premier League with Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.
For every star like Haaland, plenty of players like Jadon Sancho, Timo Werner or Randal Kolo Muani lost their way after leaving Germany in big-money deals.
A friendly league for forwards
One reason might be that the Bundesliga is a happy hunting ground for would-be goalscorers.
It led the top five European leagues in terms of goals scored per game last season with 3.13 — the others were all below three — and is the only one to average more than three goals per game in each of the last seven years.
Some of that is down to Bayern racking up the score against smaller teams, but Germany is also the home of a tactical shift in world soccer over the past 15 years.
High defensive lines and so-called 'gegenpressing' high up the field reward fast, physical forwards who can hustle for the ball and take advantage of a sudden breakaway. Underdog teams are often minded to take risks rather than 'park the bus' and defend deep.
Rebuilding careers
Sesko will have seen how hard it can be to regain momentum after failing with a new club.
When Werner came back to Leipzig in 2023 after a failed stint at Chelsea, he was competing for playing time with Sesko — and eventually lost out. Werner's attempt at another reboot on loan at Tottenham fizzled, without a single Premier League goal last season.
Some players never quite recover. The high point of Luka Jovic's career was joining Real Madrid from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019 for a reported 60 million euros ($67.5 million at the time).
Once considered a potential successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, six years later the 27-year-old Jovic has just arrived at Greece's AEK Athens after stints back at Frankfurt and with Italy's AC Milan and Fiorentina.
In the balance
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
Omar Marmoush's move from Frankfurt to City in January hasn't been a roaring success, but isn't an obvious failure either. This season could be crucial to the Egyptian forward's future after seven goals in 16 Premier League games last season.
Kai Havertz was a Champions League winner with Chelsea but has arguably yet to reach his full potential there, or with current team Arsenal. A hamstring injury earlier this year didn't help.
It's unclear how much of a long-term future ex-Leipzig player Christopher Nkunku has in Chelsea's large squad. He scored a total of 15 goals last season but only three in the Premier League.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
7 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Thomas Müller jokes he's missing Manuel Neuer as Vancouver adventure begins
MUNICH (AP) — Thomas Müller has a lot to adapt to with the Vancouver Whitecaps after 25 years at Bayern Munich. First up, flying without an old friend. Aboard the plane taking him to Canada and Major League Soccer, Müller joked it was the first time in 15 years he'd flown without Manuel Neuer, the goalkeeper who's been his longtime teammate for Bayern and the German national team. 'I'm on my flight to Vancouver. I'm looking for the GOAT. Can you help me? I cannot find him anywhere,' Müller said in a video on Instagram. 'It's my first flight without Manuel Neuer since maybe 15 years, I don't know. I'm very excited to come to Vancouver to play for the Whitecaps. Fingers crossed for my first games. See you there.' The 35-year-old forward admitted to feeling 'a little bit nervous' in comments to German broadcaster Sky Sport. 'It's the first time in a very long time that I'm joining a new team.' Müller joined Bayern's academy as a 10-year-old in 2000 and had spent his entire career with the German champion, winning a record 13 Bundesliga titles, two Champions Leagues and the World Cup with Germany in 2014. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. His last game for Bayern was a quarterfinal loss to Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup in Atlanta, after a months-long farewell from the club. Bayern announced in April it wouldn't be extending his contract. Müller said he understood 'even if this did not reflect my personal wishes.' The following weeks saw emotional scenes with teammates, club officials and fans as Müller hit personal milestones — passing his 500th Bundesliga game and 750th game in total for Bayern — and wrapped up yet another German title. Vancouver said last week Müller will join the Whitecaps for the remainder of the season in an open roster spot, with a Designated Player option for 2026. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
7 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Serbian soccer club Partizan punished by UEFA for fans' Kosovo banner and offensive chants
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA fined Partizan Belgrade more than $100,000 on Wednesday and ordered part of the Serbian club's stadium closed at one European game for fans' racist and political statements. Fans displayed a 'Kosovo is Serbia' banner and chanted discriminatory and offensive slogans at two home games in Conference League qualifying rounds. The order to close a 10,000-seat section of Partizan's stadium will apply at the team's next home game in a European competition. Partizan faces possible elimination on Thursday in Edinburgh, trailing 2-0 from the first leg against Hibernian in the Conference League third qualifying round. UEFA said its disciplinary panel fined Partizan a total of 90,250 euros ($105,500) for incidents at home games in recent weeks against Hibernian and Olexandriya of Ukraine. The charges included 'racist and/or discriminatory behavior,' displaying an illicit banner and throwing objects, UEFA said. Serbia has never recognized the declaration of independence in 2008 by Kosovo, the neighboring former province which has been a member of UEFA and world soccer body FIFA since 2016. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bournemouth signs Diakite to bolster defense after $200M of sales
BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) — Bournemouth bolstered its creaking defense by signing center back Bafodé Diakité from Lille on Wednesday in a deal worth up to a reported 40 million euros ($55 million). Bournemouth has sold almost its entire first-choice backline over the offseason — center backs Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi and left back Milos Kerkez, as well as goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga — to generate around $200 million. The 24-year-old Diakité previously played for Toulouse and featured 107 times for Lille in all competitions. He could make his debut for Bournemouth at Liverpool on Friday in the opening game of the Premier League season. ___ AP soccer:
