Max Kruse changes to Union Berlin

The soccer player Max Kruse likes to lay wrong tracks on the square. This also applies a little to Kruse. A few weeks ago, he showed via Instagram how he visited the VfB Stuttgart office. He only later resolved that this was not about contract negotiations, but rather a PR campaign.

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Most recently, his ex-Werder Bremen publicly wooed the attacker, the club confirmed that there had been talks between him and Kruse. Then Kruse called off and added that the club had little chance with him anyway.

So now Union Berlin. There had been rumors about it weeks ago the transfer was not announced until Thursday afternoon. Kruse comes free of charge, his past employer Fenerbahce has apparently skipped at least three salary payments. Kruse quit.

“Cool new club”

This changing theater shows a little bit what is so fascinating about Kruse. The striker knows how to stage himself. His messages on social media rarely sound fake, but relaxed. He seems approachable, is present, a little unusual. The List of his extravagances is long. And Kruse can kick. Better than quite a few in this business. All of this makes him one who moves fans. On which many of them have an opinion. Where the view from the smartphone goes up when the TV commentator gives his name. If Kruse is on the ball, there can be something.

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This eye-catcher is switching to Union. One of the smallest Bundesliga clubs, which should be stuck in relegation battle from day one. How does that fit together?

In a club announcement Union Managing Director Oliver Ruhnert was quoted as saying: “We are delighted that a free transfer player of this quality had many options and decided to go with Union despite the fact that the offers were much more economical, and shows that Union as a club can score with other values.”

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Kruse said he was happy to “get to know Union, a cool new club that has had a great development in recent years. For me it was important to switch to a club that completely convinced and challenged me.”

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Coolness, other values, that may sound likeable, as if it were not about business and millions. As a rule, however, such soft factors are not the ones that decide on a contract signature.

What Frank Baumann had said before was also interesting. When Bremen ‘s managing director told Kruse’ s cancellation to Werder, he said: “For him, other things are more important than the familiar environment, knowing what to expect here, which football, which coach. Max is someone who is always looking for new challenges and for whom other things are important. “

What “other things”?

The football that Kruse would have expected in Bremen would have been more similar to what it was at the end of his time in Bremen between 2016 and 2019. One of the key measures taken by Werder coach Florian Kohfeldt was to use Kruse as the False Nine: as a center forward, who neither waits rigidly in the penalty area for passes nor starts runs behind the opposing defense chain. But as a game-making striker.

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Kruse is one of the rare footballers who master this art at the highest level. Those who tune into the game structure, distribute balls, determine the rhythm of a team. And still be present in the penalty area when it matters.

According to “Transfermarkt.de”, Kruse has scored 136 goals in his career. The number of templates is 120.

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At Fenerbahce he only scored seven goals and eight assists across all competitions. Measured by his playing time, however, Kruse achieved a value of 0.72 goal participations per 90 minutes. It was the second best in the Istanbul club squad. In Berlin, Kruse would have been a top scorer with these values, by a clear margin.

Another question is whether Kruse will be able to confirm his scores at Union. Just like what coach Urs Fischer is actually planning with his new, only star player. Most recently, Union was the team with the most long balls per game (71, league average: 62) and the second weakest pass rate (76.1 percent, league average: 82.1 percent). Berlin scored less than half of his goals from the game. And the German striker, perhaps the one with the strongest play, is now switching to this team. It’s a bit strange.

Genius among malochers

In addition, Kruse works very well in the pressing if he is and wants to be in shape. But somehow that doesn’t quite fit: the painters on the one hand, on the other the artist, often sporty ingenious, but in Bremen already returned from their vacation with some weight.

How many other Bundesliga clubs were seriously interested in Kruse is not known. In Bremen, the only club to have the publicly known Kruse, the former striker could have probably earned more than the lower-revenue 1. FC Union. Maybe the location mattered. Berlin certainly offers a lot that Bremen doesn’t have. Union may also be trying to change the style of play, with Kruse as the benchmark. There had been delicate playful approaches recently.

At first, all of this could only be speculated. Kruse posted a photo with the Union logo on Instagram, otherwise: no video, no story. Max Kruse was silent this time.

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