Hit or miss? Predicting how British players in Bundesliga will fare this season
The 2019/20 Bundesliga season gets underway when Bayern Munich welcome Hertha Berlin to the Allianz Arena on Friday evening.
Niko Kovac’s side will be looking to win the Bundesliga for an eighth consecutive season having seen off Borussia Dortmund in a dramatic title race last time out.
There are also European spots up for grabs, with Eintracht Frankfurt undoubtedly hoping to continue their move up the table despite losing both Luka Jovic and Sebastien Haller over the summer.
Then there’s the relegation battle, with newly-promoted Koln, Union Berlin and Paderborn hoping to stay in the Bundesliga for more than just one season.
https://audioboom.com/posts/7336082-10-predictions-for-the-2019-20-premier-league-season
But if that isn’t enough to entice you, there are also an impressive eight British players set to feature in the Bundesliga this season, one more than the previous campaign.
So, who are these exports and how well can we expect them to do this season? Read on to find out.
Jadon Sancho
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Nationality: English
Age: 19
Position Winger
The cream of Britain’s crop in the Bundesliga, expectations will be high for Jadon Sancho to continue his rise this season.
After taking some time to settle in following his move from Manchester City in 2017, Sancho made the 2018/19 Bundesliga campaign his own. The teenager recorded more assists than any other player in the Bundesliga (14) and added 12 goals for himself, only behind Paco Alcacer (19) and Marco Reus (17) among Dortmund team-mates.
He has already started the new German campaign off well, scoring and assisting in Dortmund’s 2-0 Super Cup win over Bayern. But, now, he must hope he can continue that form for the season to dethrone Bayern in the Bundesliga.
Prediction: Hit
Keanan Bennetts
Club: Borussia Monchengladbach
Nationality: English
Age: 20
Position Winger
Keanan Bennetts made the move from Tottenham Hotspur to Borussia Monchengladbach in July 2018 but is yet to make a first-team appearance, spending the 2018/19 campaign with the club’s second team. In that time, he made 22 appearances, scoring once and recording two assists, with his performances enough to earn him a spot in the 2019 Golden Boy shortlist.
And it appears, this season, the 20-year-old may be given his chance in the first-team, appearing on the bench in Monchengladbach’s 1-0 DFB-Pokal win over Sandhausen last weekend. Whether he’ll make many appearances remains to be seen, given Monchengladbach’s strength in attack, but even if his breakthrough doesn’t come this season, Bennetts should not be taken lightly.
Prediction: Miss
Ethan Ampadu
Club: RB Leipzig
Nationality: Welsh
Age: 18
Position Centre-back
After stalling under Maurizio Sarri last season, Ethan Ampadu is embarking on his first loan spell away from Chelsea with RB Leipzig. It has been a fairly slow start for the Welsh youngster at his new club, with Ampadu currently dealing with an adductor injury which caused him to miss out on DFB-Pokal action.
However, once he does return to full fitness, Ampadu’s ability to play both in defence and midfield could see the Welshman become a vital player for RB Leipzig this season as they juggle European football once more.
Prediction: Hit
Ademola Lookman
Club: RB Leipzig
Nationality: English
Age: 21
Position Winger
Another British export in Leipzig, Ademola Lookman is about to embark on his first campaign as a permanent Red Bull.
The 21-year-old spent a successful loan spell in Leipzig from Everton during the 2017/18 season, scoring five goals in 11 league games. And RB Leipzig fans will be hoping he can produce more of the same this season, complementing the likes of Yussuf Poulsen and Timo Werner in attack.
However, Lookman may be reliant on Julian Nagelsmann changing his favoured formation, with Leipzig lining up in a 3-5-2 in their 3-2 win over VfL Osnabruck in the DFB-Pokal, a set up which appears to have no immediate place for a direct winger.
Prediction: Miss
Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel here.
Jonjoe Kenny
Club: Schalke
Nationality: English
Age: 22
Position Right-back
Another temporary mover, Jonjoe Kenny has joined Schalke from Everton until the end of the season but is already looking set to be a big part of David Wagner’s side.
The 22-year-old played the full 90 minutes of Schalke’s DFB-Pokal win over Drochtersen/Assel and should be Wagner’s first-choice right-back after midfielders were utilised in the role under Domenico Tedesco and Huub Stevens last season.
Prediction: Hit
Rabbi Matondo
Club: Schalke
Nationality: Welsh
Age: 18
Position Winger
Another player to swap Manchester City for the Bundesliga, Rabbi Matondo made the switch in January 2019 and made eight first-team appearances before the end of the season.
Prior to his move to Schalke, Matondo had impressed in City’s U-23 side, earning him a senior Welsh cap, and was part of first-team training sessions under Pep Guardiola.
The 18-year-old was not involved in Schalke’s cup win last weekend due to a foot injury but is expected to play some role this season.
Prediction: Hit
Reece Oxford
Club: Augsburg
Nationality: English
Age: 20
Position Centre-back
Having spent the second half of last season with Augsburg, Reece Oxford made the move permanent in the summer in order to continue his development in Germany.
Oxford’s eight Bundesliga appearances last season didn’t exactly go to plan, however, with the Englishman only keeping two clean sheets, while losing six games. He was also sent off in his fourth league appearance, causing him to receive a three-game suspension.
Augsburg will be hoping Oxford will fare better this season but it could be a slog before the move starts to come good.
Prediction: Miss
Lewis Baker
Club: Fortuna Dusseldorf
Nationality: English
Age: 24
Position Central midfield
Lewis Baker is on his seventh loan spell away from Chelsea and it looks like it could be the English midfielder’s final chance to turn his career onto the right track.
Still only 24, Baker has not enjoyed the past few seasons, struggling for playing time at Middlesbrough and Leeds United before a brief reprieve with Reading towards the end the 2018/19 campaign.
Baker played 104 minutes in Fortuna Dusseldorf’s cup win over FC 08 Villingen and he looks set to be a regular for the Bundesliga side as they look to build on a 10th-placed finish last season.
Prediction: Hit
