Best time for PL fans to assess Bundesliga transfer targets
There was joy and excitement amongst fans as competitive football returned on Saturday, May 16, 2020, amid the coronavirus brouhaha.
The Bundesliga set the pace for the return of football amongst Europe’s elite leagues and it was a rare sight to behold indeed as various precautionary measures were enforced during games.
Regardless, the return was also a plus for Premier League fans as they got to watch some of the major transfer targets being linked with their clubs. They’ll continue to watch and assess these players until the Premier League’s restart is okayed and attentions divided.
Germany international Timo Werner and the highly coveted Jadon Sancho were all in action on the pitch as the Bundesliga returned. However, Dayot Upamecano was not in the RB Leipzig team as he was serving a suspension for accumulated cards.
These three players have been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League’s big clubs this summer and there are no doubts that fans of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea had their eyes on these reported targets during the weekend.
Borussia Dortmund thrashed Schalke 04 four-nil in the Revierderby at the Signal Iduna Park as they continued their chase of league leaders Bayern Munich who won 2 nil away to Union Berlin on Sunday to maintain the points gap.
RB Leipzig’s average form before the suspension of the game continued as they had to come from 1 nil down to draw 1 at home to Freiburg in a game where they were tagged as favorites. They’ve now drawn their last 3 Bundesliga games.
Jadon Sancho started from the bench for Dortmund in the derby and came on in the second half to replace former Chelsea boy Thorgan Hazard. Likely, some Chelsea fans won’t be happy the younger Hazard brother is not at Stamford Bridge after his consistency since his move to the Bundesliga.
Thorgan Hazard scored and assisted in the game before he was subbed off. He provided the assist for Dortmund’s opener on the day by Erling Haaland.
Timo Werner, who has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool couldn’t make any headway with RB Leipzig against Freiburg. He wasn’t on the scoresheet but will be looking to hit the back of the net in their next game.
These and many more targets were on the pitch for their clubs over the weekend and some will be in action when Werder Bremen welcome Bayern Leverkusen on Monday.
I daresay that some Premier League fans have seen some of these targets in live-action for the first time this season. They’ll be seeing more of them as weeks go by and get to see if these players are worth the reported interest from their clubs. Football behind closed doors is needed presently but the difference was clear.
The electric atmosphere and excitement that the game provides will never be the same until the round leather game returns in its full entirety with fans in the stadium and less precautionary measures being adopted. Hopefully, this is achieved sooner than later.
