Shinji Kagawa and Kevin De Bruyne Potential Transfer Targets of Wolfsburg

Wolfsburg are considering January moves for the Premier League duo of Shinji Kagawa and Kevin De Bruyne, according to a report in German newspaper Bild (article in German).

Per ESPN FC's Stephan Uersfeld, the club have identified the duo as potential January recruits given their lack of playing time in the Premier League.

Klaus Allofs, the club's general manager who signed De Bruyne on loan in his time at Werder Bremen, told Bild:

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We want to do reasonable transfers, just like with Luiz Gustavo. That was exceptional in terms of transfer fee and dimension. We want to continue a selective reinforcement of our squad. Not in heave-ho style.

At Werder, I have seen just how good De Bruyne is. If such players are possible, you of course think about them. But we should not raise the hopes of our fans. In the end they comment: 'Once again, you failed to sign him'.

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Allofs and Wolfsburg secured a major coup at the end of the summer window in capturing first-choice Brazil international Luiz Gustavo ahead of Premier League giants Arsenal.

After 10 games of the current season, though, Wolfsburg have picked up just 15 points and lie well off the pace in the Bundesliga.

Given their expenditure on the likes of Luiz Gustavo and fellow Brazilian Diego, it is safe to say that the side would hope to be doing better at this stage of the campaign.

Transfer activity in January would appear to be on the cards. Diego, per the ESPN piece, could be on the move, and in De Bruyne or Kagawa, the club may be able to pick up a good replacement—at least on loan until the end of the campaign.

Allofs is right not to build up hope. Kagawa, at least, will be an almost impossible dream, while De Bruyne will be far from easy to tie down.

However, he is right that the best approach in the transfer market is methodical signings in identified positions.

The mass signing sprees that the likes of QPR, Sunderland and Crystal Palace have embarked on over the past two years—to cite Premier League examples—demonstrates that such excesses are not an effective recruitment strategy.

Gustavo was an excellent starting point, but now the club must continue to invest in scouting to identify just a few players each window who can help Wolfsburg return to the upper echelons of the Bundesliga in the near future.