Why Andre Schurrle Would Be a Risky Signing for Liverpool
As the summer transfer window grows ever closer, Liverpool have been linked with a plethora of potential signings, including VfL Wolfsburg's former Chelsea forward, Andre Schurrle.
According to German publication Kicker (h/t Metro), the 25-year-old could look to leave the Bundesliga club at the end of the season, with the Reds joining Tottenham Hotspur in the pursuit of the Germany international, whose current contract expires in 2019.
Kicker suggest it would take a considerable outlay to bring Schurrle to Merseyside, given the length of his deal and the £24.9 million fee Wolfsburg paid Chelsea to secure his services at the beginning of 2015, but speaking to Bild (h/t ESPN FC) in April, the player admitted he was likely to leave the club:
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
"The European Championships are coming up. I want to play well in the three final matches for Wolfsburg—that's my focus.
We'll see what happens after that.
The [Wolfsburg] sporting director has talked about a squad overhaul, and allegedly I am part of that. You need to see what happens.
"
It can be argued that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp needs to add quality to his attacking ranks this summer, despite the success of Adam Lallana, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi among others, with the Reds facing another busy season, potentially covering over 60 games.
But while Schurrle, a Germany international with Premier League experience, makes a believable target for Klopp in this sense, moving for the ex-Blues forward would remain something of a risk for Klopp.
Andre Schurrle
Schurrle made the move to the Volkswagen Arena in the winter transfer window of 2014/15, with his first-team opportunities looking slim under then-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
"I had a good time at Chelsea and was accepted in the team, so it's difficult to explain why I left," he told the Times (h/t Goal) in September. "My performances were good as well, but there was a time in my second season when I felt I didn't have the manager's trust any more and I didn't play many matches from the start."
Schurrle made just five Premier League starts for Chelsea in the first half of last season, scoring three goals in 14 league games overall, averaging at a goal every 143 minutes.
Coming directly after Schurrle's successful FIFA World Cup campaign with Germany, including two goals in just over 30 minutes as Joachim Low's side humiliated tournament hosts Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals, this came as something of a surprise.
His fortunes improved on moving to Wolfsburg, featuring in all but one of their last 15 Bundesliga games in 2014/15, typically taking up a role on the left side of the attack, joining former Chelsea team-mate Kevin De Bruyne in a fluid forward line to score one goal and register three assists.
With De Bruyne, Aaron Hunt and Ivan Perisic all leaving the club last summer, Schurrle has taken up a more focal role, scoring seven goals and laying on a further five in 28 Bundesliga appearances so far, as well as two goals and two assists in 10 games in the UEFA Champions League.
It has been a hit-and-miss campaign, however, but Schurrle provided a clear reminder of his qualities with a wonderful goal in April's 1-1 draw with FSV Mainz 05, as well as his first Bundesliga hat-trick in a 4-0 win away to Hannover 96 a month before.
If Klopp has been watching in recent months, as Kicker seemingly attest, he may have earmarked a clear role for the forward.
Where Schurrle Would Fit in at Liverpool
"We have enough strikers—five with Roberto [Firmino]—but not too many wingers, just a few young ones with great potential," Klopp told the Press Association (h/t This is Anfield) in February, after making his third foray into the transfer market to sign Joel Matip from Schalke 04.
Klopp's regular wide options throughout his first seven months with Liverpool have been Lallana, Coutinho, Jordon Ibe and James Milner, with the latter utilised sparingly, preferring a role in the middle of the park.
Of this quartet, only Ibe can be considering a genuine winger, able to stretch play with pace and supply crosses into the area; it is an invaluable role in Klopp's system, where the German requires a quick outlet.
But with Ibe making only six league starts since the turn of the year, and the Guardian's Andy Hunter linking the 20-year-old with a summer move to Watford, the Liverpool manager has seemingly underlined his stance.
The emergence of 18-year-old academy star Sheyi Ojo in recent weeks has provided a solution, but he remains a long-term prospect, and if Liverpool are to compete in the Premier League, Capital One Cup, FA Cup and possibly the Champions League next season, they are going to need to add quality and experience.
On paper, Schurrle provides this, with 278 senior club appearances to his name, including 65 with Chelsea, scoring 92 goals and registering 37 assists. He has also scored 20 goals in 50 games for Germany.
A freakishly fit, hard-working, pacy forward, most comfortable on the left flank but also capable of shining on the right or as a makeshift No. 9, Schurrle is built for a direct attacking system like Klopp's, and he could complement the likes of Coutinho, Lallana and Roberto Firmino as a clear upgrade on Ibe.
But when considering a move for the player this summer, Klopp will be carefully weighing up whether or not Schurrle is capable of stepping up into the role of key man, as during his spells with Chelsea and Wolfsburg he has struggled to show this consistently.
The De Bruyne Gamble
If Schurrle does return to the Premier League this summer, comparisons will be drawn with De Bruyne, with the Belgian having left Chelsea, shone at Wolfsburg and then made a big-money switch to Manchester City in 2015.
De Bruyne's transition back into the English top flight belied his muted spell with the Blues between 2012 and 2014, and has led to vociferous criticism from Chelsea supporters, focusing on the short-term view of the club—the likes of Thorgan Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and even Juan Mata are in a similar position.
Schurrle joining Liverpool could see the 25-year-old respond to Mourinho's flippancy with an emphatic rise to prominence, taking up a focal role in Klopp's attacking unit and vindicating the big-money outlay that would take him to Merseyside from Wolfsburg.
On the other hand, however, with Schurrle currently at his best as an impact player—influencing games by injecting power and direct running as a second-half substitute—returning to the Premier League could bring more of the same.
This is a risk Liverpool would need to consider carefully before moving for Schurrle, as Coutinho, Lallana and Firmino require reinforcing with proven quality, with Schurrle's international team-mate, Mario Gotze, a better signing in this regard.
Schurrle is certainly a player capable of shining at the top level, but he may not be the winner Klopp needs.
Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
