Bundesliga’s player of the year has been causing more than a few headlines with reported interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Bayern Munich to name a few. The Belgian is one of football’s most prodigious young talents with a record of 21 assists in a single season for the German top-flight, but could leaving Wolfsburg at such a time in his career be a grievous mistake?
Kevin de Bruyne went to Chelsea after a youth career at Genk in Belgium. With only three appearances for the Blues and a couple years spent on loan, it seemed like he was not going to find his big break on the grass of Stamford Bridge.
Then came VfL Wolfsburg who signed him in 2014, now 51 appearances later and it seems every big name in Europe is desperate for the signature of the 24-year-old.
Make no mistake, De Bruyne is destined to be one of the top players in the world, but leaving the Wolves after such a short stint would be a serious detriment to his career.
While the Belgian international is an excellent player, it is hard to seriously judge his talent after a single season. It was only two years ago that Chelsea decided he was surplus, so what De Bruyne needs more than an expensive transfer is consistency. If ‘KDB’ can carry his amazing form from last season into 2015-16, then he will have earned himself a big money move, but right now the young player is still an unknown quantity. Staying at Wolfsburg means consistent first team football and a chance to hone his abilities and mature into a world class player.
Moving to a club like Manchester City would be risky. The Citizens are among the wealthiest in the world, they demand success at every opportunity and have the budget to immediately replace anyone who they think is not giving enough to the team. Such a competitive environment would be incredibly difficult for De Bruyne to break into – especially considering City already have an abundance of experience and talent in their attacking-midfield. Can we really see David Silva, Raheem Sterling or Samir Nasri being pushed for a starting spot?
This is not to say that De Bruyne will never be a starter for a team like the Sky Blues, it just means that he needs time to develop and generate consistent performances to warrant a transfer to the Premier League.
In fact, the Belgian needs to look no further than the Bundesliga to see how an expensive transfer for a young talent can lead to disaster. Mario Gotze is a prime example of how the pressure of a big money move at such a young age can ruin a career. Gotze had won two Bundesliga titles and proved himself in the Champions League before he turned 22-years-old. It seemed as though the sky was the limit for a player hailed as “the German Messi” by Bayern legend Franz Beckenbauer, but it all began to fall apart when he fell victim to the prestige of a move to a glamour outfit. The World Cup winner was so enamoured by Pep Guardiola’s personal interest in him, that his transfer to Bayern was announced as early as 36 hours before playing a Champions League semi-final for Borussia Dortmund. At the time he was the most expensive German player in history.
In their haste, Gotze and Bayern failed to realise that the young playmaker was still not fully developed, ripping him away from the comfortable surroundings of Dortmund and expecting him to break into the first XI of one of the best teams in Europe was a lot to ask of a 22-year-old. Even last season 18-year-old Mitchell Weiser was given starts ahead of Gotze, a dour sign for the career of a man who scored a World Cup winning goal. The whole debacle severely stunted his growth as a player and we may never see his potential fulfilled.
Of course, Gotze’s story is merely anecdotal. Kevin De Bruyne’s career might take a completely different turn, but he would do well to learn from past mistakes.
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Manchester City appear to be the most likely to sign Wolfsburg’s No.14, with some reports suggesting a bid as high as €75 million. Is a player like this really worth that kind of money after just one excellent season? Unless City are confident in their youth development skills, then they would be well advised to let the Belgian grow for a year or two before making such an exorbitant bid.
At the end of the day, it is inevitable that De Bruyne will find his way to one of Europe’s top teams. A move this early in his career, however, is incredibly risky. He has already failed to thrive in the competitive environment of Chelsea and may not be prepared to face it again. To top it off, he may not even be able to repeat last season’s heroics with Wolfsburg.
The simplest solution to this transfer saga is to allow Wolfsburg’s star to stay at the Volkswagen Arena for at least the 2015-16 season. He will be participating in the Champions League and will get the opportunity to prove that last season was not a one-off. If he does everything right, then he will be able to go to Manchester City or Bayern at a good age of 25-27, with a wealth of talent and experience. Trying to force a transfer now could spell disaster for De Bruyne’s career.
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