By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
Bundesliga side SV Werder Bremen have been extremely active
in the transfer market this summer. Their biggest signing is the signature of
German forward Max Kruse from VfL Wolfsburg.
Kruse was once considered the main German forward of the
future but he has lost his way dramatically during his season at Wolfsburg.
So, can he redeem himself now he is back at one of his
former clubs or is he sliding away into mediocrity?
Off-field
issues
It is fair to say that 2015/2016 was not Max Kruse’s finest
season. A dramatic loss of form on the pitch, coupled with a string of misdemeanours
off-the-field made for some pretty damming headlines.
In October 2015, reports surfaced Kruse carelessly lost £59,000
in cash in the back of a taxi in Berlin – reportedly after playing in a poker
tournament.
He contacted the police but the money never turned up back
in his possession. When the incident was made public months later, his club
were furious and fined him £20,000.
Gambling is nothing new to Kruse. Whilst Germany were
winning the 2014 World Cup, he was in Las Vegas taking part in a World Series
of Poker tournament.
Around the same time, his addiction to Nutella became
well-known. Bild reported that as he became addicted to the chocolate hazelnut
spread, his performances started to suffer. He was confronted by Wolfsburg
director Klaus Allofs at the club’s winter training camp in Portugal back in
January. He was told clearly to axe the sugar rush from his diet.
Allofs was quoted as saying: “The aim is to support our
players to deliver optimum performance, Max needs to correct a few
things."
That wasn’t the last of Kruse’s indiscretions though.
Another incident in March emerged of him celebrating his birthday in a
nightclub in Berlin. He was photographed by a woman who was working for Bild.
Incensed, he grabbed the phone and promptly deleted the photographs. What was
taken is unknown but the incident was reported and he was fined again.
German national team boss Joachim Low reminded Kruse of his
actions and responsibilities. He was dropped from the international fold before
the friendly with England in Berlin. Any hope of going to EURO 2016 was dashed
and he only had himself to blame.
So whilst Mario Gomez was banging in goals at the EUROs and
the likes of Nils Petersen and Davie Selke doing likewise for the German team
at the Olympics, Kruse has been pushed onto the sidelines.
It was clear that the atmosphere at Wolfsburg was bringing
the worst out of him and a transfer away seemed inevitable. However, a move to
Bremen certainly raised eyebrows.
Bremen’s
bold gamble
For SV Werder Bremen, it made sense to take this bold
gamble. Anthony Ujah departed for the Chinese Super League after a single
season with the club, whilst Claudio Pizarro might be one of the all-time
Bundesliga greats, but his game time needs to be managed as he approaches his
38th birthday.
Whilst Lennart Thy and Aron Johannsson offer alternative
options, neither has the proven goalscoring record Kruse has and he has
demonstrated it everywhere, except at Wolfsburg.
It is a return to the club where he made a solitary
Bundesliga appearance as a youngster in 2007 but he made a move away at the
right time and reaped rewards for it.
22 goals in 96 appearances across four seasons with FC St.
Pauli was a good starting point, before accelerating his development at
Sport-Club Freiburg in 2012/2013.
He was the club’s standout player, netting 11 times and
featuring in every top-flight game as Freiburg qualified for the UEFA Europa
League. Borussia Mönchengladbach noticed his talents and quickly snapped him up
for the following campaign.
Two seasons at Mönchengladbach saw him chalk up tallies of
12 and 11 goals. There is no doubt that when fit and fully focused on his game,
he will score goals in the Bundesliga.
The €12 million switch to Wolfsburg was expected to reap
rewards but it only brought Kruse into the headlines for the wrong reasons. Apart
from a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim last October, his
spell at the Volkswagen Arena wasn’t much to write home about.
 |
| Max Kruse has a massive season ahead at SV Werder Bremen |
Now 28-years-old, this move back to SV Werder Bremen is a
make or break move for Max Kruse (pictured). If he sorts his form out on the pitch and
finds some stability away from the field, this transfer could turn out to be
one of the best bits of business done this summer in the Bundesliga. It could
make him a real force again in the German international setup, especially as
they are lacking natural forwards.
For Bremen, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
For Max Kruse, he must decide if he wants to be remembered as a success or a
potential talent who got distracted and didn’t fulfil what was possible. Only
he can make that decision.
His progress at the Weser-Stadion this season will be one of
the interesting side stories to what looks like being an intriguing 2016/2017 Bundesliga
campaign.
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