5 Bundesliga players Premier League clubs should be targeting in January
Even with domestic football in full swing, there’s never a shortage of players being linked with a move away from their club, while the Bundesliga is no different.
Germany is a hotbed for Premier League clubs, while English sides can generally pay a lower fee for a player from Germany than for someone from Spain or Italy, for example.
With the money that’s in the Premier League, it’s hard for a German team to turn down a substantial amount, such as the fee Manchester City paid Schalke 04 to sign Leroy Sane.
And with numerous players playing for struggling clubs, or on the verge of running down their contract, here are 5 Bundesliga footballers we could well be seeing in the Premier League in January:
#5 Guido Burgstaller (FC Schalke 04)
To say that Guido Burgstaller isn’t a Premier League player is quite an understatement. The Austria international would be perfect for a team such as Stoke City or West Bromwich Albion, given his physique.
Since swapping the 2. Bundesliga with 1. FC Nurnberg for the Bundesliga with Schalke 04, Burgstaller has since established himself as their No. 1 forward. With the departure of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to Ajax, the 28-year-old certainly had big boots to fill.
In 27 Bundesliga games for Schalke, Burgstaller has found the net on 12 occasions, adding to his 33 goals in 63 second-division appearances. That’s quite the tally for a player who wasn’t tipped to succeed for a team that should be challenging for a Champions League spot.
Burgstaller has played in the United Kingdom before, turning out for Cardiff City in the Championship during the 2014/15 campaign. While he failed to find the net in 99 minutes of league football, it’s fair to say that he’s improved as a player in just three years during his time in Germany.
Boasting a strong physique as well as being able to score with either foot, he’s becoming one of the best finishers in German football inside the penalty area – so much so that Southampton have previously shown an interest.
At 28, it’s now or never if the Austrian wants to test himself in the Premier League.