Why Big Clubs Should Be Looking at Christoph Kramer in January Transfer Window

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Christoph Kramer continues to draw both plaudits on the field and headlines off it, with many of the latter concerning a potential transfer elsewhere in January or the summer.

Having shot to prominence over the past couple of seasons at Borussia Moenchengladbach, where he is on loan this season just as in 2013-14, the holding midfielder has shown his talents to be well worthy of playing on a bigger stage, and 2015 should be the year he makes that leap.

If the rumour sections are anything to go by, he'll have his pick of clubs to choose from.

Style and Traits

Kramer is a protective midfielder, a central player who roams across the width of the penalty area to break up play and destroy opposition attacks as often as possible. Usually featuring in a fluid 4-4-2, 'Gladbach's system relies on defending in a tight, compact midfield line and utilising pace on the counter, with Kramer the one who remains sitting more often than not.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

He's one of the fairly rare breed of midfielders who wins back the ball both by making direct challenges and reading the play well to anticipate passes, topping 'Gladbach's team stats for both tackles and interceptions this season, per WhoScored.com.

In possession, Kramer is typically assured and concise with his passing, happy to go direct to the likes of Andre Hahn out wide when possible but not really noted as a regular constructor of chances, rather finding the spaces for others to start attacking from.

He is a big force in the centre for 'Gladbach, though perhaps there can remain some questions about his mobility or agility in the centre when faced with players running straight at him.

Stand-out Moments

Since the summer, Kramer's two most widely publicised moments on the field have unfortunately been negative ones: being knocked unconscious in the World Cup final and a 45-yard own goal against Borussia Dortmund.

"

If you haven't seen Cristoph Kramer's fantastic own goal against Dortmund, you probably should right now! https://t.co/FIjaldoM05

— XI Against XI (@XIagainstXI) November 15, 2014"

"

Kramer would see the funny side of being nominated for Goal of the Month: "It was a nice goal, just at the wrong end" pic.twitter.com/ZGaBRKLUcT

— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) November 17, 2014"

Of course, there's plenty more to his game than that.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Consistency during the campaign and making an impact for the fifth-placed side in the Bundesliga come as a result of his hard work ethic and capacity to frustrate opponents.

His performance, along with that of the entire team, in the 0-0 draw against leaders Bayern Munich was excellent indeed. He was everywhere during the 90 minutes, pressing, making challenges and winning the ball back to protect his defence. The clean sheet and not losing to Bayern was worthy reward.

Suited to...

Straight after the closure of the summer window, the gossip columns were full of news of clubs wanting Kramer but not having been able to sign him.

Jamie Anderson of the Express reported that both Liverpool and Manchester United wanted him for £10 million, with Borussia Moenchengladbach waiting until January to try to make his loan move permanent. Real Madrid have him on their watch-list too, according to ESPNFC, while most recently Alex Harris of the Daily Star has suggested Arsenal have Kramer as their backup options should they fail to land Sami Khedira.

While Real Madrid have shown they don't necessarily need to bring in a holding player at present, the three English teams would all no doubt like to add him to their ranks. Closer to home, Bayer Leverkusen are performing well, though he has never actually featured for his parent side in the Bundesliga.

Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

A German World Cup winner he might be, but Kramer is not likely on the radar of Bayern Munich at this point, especially with Sebastian Rode not really getting much game time despite the long injury list Bayern have.

If Kramer is to depart the Bundesliga and step up to regular Champions League football, England may well be the destination that suits him most, with his physical yet technical style of play. Any team agreeing a fee with Leverkusen may be some way off, but it looks likely he'd step up to the challenge admirably.

Follow @karlmatchett