Bundesliga clubs have been busy this summer and with the season fast approaching, at Get German Football News we have decided to look at five signings from this summer you should watch out for, with Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Kevin Stöger making the list.
From Bochum to Borussia Park
At the end of last season, Stöger was integral in helping Bochum stay up as they came from 3-0 down to beat Fortuna Düsseldorf in the Relegation Playoff. To reward this performance, he let his contract run down and left.
For reasons we will get into shortly, whoever signed Stöger this summer would have had a steal on their hands. The Austrian, who was not called up to the squad for EURO 2024, decided that he wanted to move to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Better than Bruno Fernandes?
The 30-year-old ended last season with eight goals and 13 assists in 35 games in what has by far been the best season of his rather average 13-year journeyman spell in Germany.
Looking at his scouting report on FBref, Stöger is one of the best in Europe when it comes to Shot Creating Actions, Progressive Passes as well as when it comes to his Expected Assisted Goals. All of this had been done in a poor Bochum team that was flirting with relegation for the majority of last season.
Who knows what he could do in a Gladbach team that flirted with relegation for the majority of last season?
How will he fit in at Gladbach?
Stöger made his debut for Gladbach in their 3-1 win in the DFB Pokal against Erzgebirge Aue. In the game, he played just behind fellow summer signing striker Tim Kleindienst in a 4-2-3-1, while being flanked by Alassane Plea and Franck Honorat. Stöger impressed in the relatively underwhelming performance in the east of Germany as he created the most chances in the game (via FotMob).
At Gladbach, Stöger will not have to carry the creative burden as he did at the Ruhrstadion alongside the aforementioned Plea and Honorat, Gladbach also have Robin Hack, Nathan Ngoumou as well as Rocco Reitz. While when it comes to finishing off the attack, Gladbach also have better-attacking options than Bochum did.
However, as Gladbach are about as reliable as a Deutsche Bahn train, Die Fohlen could once again find themselves in a relegation scrap going off how they tamely ended last season and Stöger may be called upon to produce some more heroics, this time west of the Rhein.
Either way, Stöger will be key for Gladbach when it comes to creating chances, something they heavily underperformed on last season, whether that be fighting in mid-table or in the relegation places.
