Assesing the best replacement for departed Werder Bremen striker Franco Di Santo [VIDEO]

Over the past few months and especially in recent weeks it seems as if when someone mentioned Werder Bremen, they could only be talking about one man. Franco Di Santo.

And all plaudits to him, as he thoroughly deserved the buzz following his dazzling performances last season. Now, however, the two will not be mentioned in the same breath anymore, following a move over the last weekend which saw Di Santo join fellow Bundesliga club Schalke 04, upseting and angering many a Bremen fan. This is keeping in line with a trend that is all too similar to the Weserstadion faithful, as time after time they have seen their prized striking possession leave the club for greater glories. From Claudio Pizzaro and Miroslav Klose and now to Di Santo, the club will have grown tired watching this trend. Outside90’s Tim Klinger  looks at who can be the man to replace the Argentine, and carve his name into the Bremen history books alongside Anthony Ujah.

Before looking at likely replacements, it is worth mentioning the young striker that should have had this opportunity thrusted upon him, but is unfortunately outside the picture. 20-year-old Davie Selke was seen by many as Bremen’s great hope, forcing his way through the reserves into the first team picture back in 2013. Selke made his goal scoring Bundesliga debut in September 2014 and netted 10 goals in 30 league appearances last term. The young striker has also excelled at all age levels for German youth teams, most notably notching 21 goals in 30 games for the German under-20 outfit. However, in a move which no one saw coming, Bremen announced in April that it would allow Selke to leave the club at the close of the season to join 2.Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. The astonishing news was not met well with the fans with many expressing their sadness that they would never get to see Selke develop and become the club icon so many had hoped he would.

Since Di Santo’s departure, Bremen have been linked with many strikers across Germany who could all do the job up front. Here is how the four most likely candidates stack up.

Vedad Ibisevic

The 30-year-old Bosnian, who represented his country and scored in Brazil during last year’s World Cup, is currently employed by fellow Bundesliga side VFB Stuttgart. Having plied his trade in Germany since 2007 Ibisevic is a man who understands the league and its defenders inside-out. Following a long injury lay-off Ibisevic only managed to make 14 appearances over 2014-15, most of which came from the bench and was only able to register one assist. Coming into a new environment at Bremen could provide a much needed kick-start after last season’s stagnating injury problems.

Rouwen Hennings

Currently playing in the 2.Bundesliga with Karlrusher SC, Hennings is somewhat of a journeyman throughout German football, boasting stints at Hamburg and St. Pauli on his resume, as well as loan spells in lower divisions as a youngster. With limited Bundesliga experience, he may not be the wisest choice as Di Santo’s successor, but following 17 goals last season, Hennings looks to be in the form of his life and can prove himself with Werder Bremen at the top level if given the chance.

Simon Zoller

Zoller is another footballer who has made his name in the 2.Bundesliga before being granted an opportunity at the top level with FC Koln last season. Unfortunately, the move did not work out for either the team or the player, and the 24-year-old found himself on loan at FC Kaiserslauten for the second-half of the campaign, who he had originally left to join Koln. With Zoller being a striker who enjoys short passes with a partner and receiving the ball at his feet, he could potentially fit in well to Skrypnyk’s first team playing ahead of attacking-midfielder Junjuzovic and partnering pacey Nigerian Ujah up top.

Emil Berggreen

The only non-German on the list and possibly the most likely to find himself pulling on the green and white of Bremen come the close of the transfer market, the young Dane was also competing in the 2.Bundesliga last season after joining Eintracht Braunschweig from Danish side Hobro IK. The striker comes with glowing accolades from Bremen centre-half and Denmark under-21 teammate Jannik Vestergaard, who could prove to convince Skrypnyk that Berggreen is the man he is looking for.

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A quick note on Bremen’s continuous pre-season preparations, the club still remain unbeaten over the summer after thumping wins over Blumenthaler SV and Willhelmshaven 9-0 and 7-0 respectively. They then took on 2015 Europa League winners Sevilla, who they overcame 3-1 with an inspired performance from Ujah, grabbing himself a goal in the process.

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