André Schürrle‘s name has been on every Bundesliga and Chelsea fan’s lips this past week. On February 3, the German club VfL Wolfsburg officially announced the signing of Chelsea’s winger. As that day was the last day of the transfer window, Schürrle’s transfer came as a bit of a shock to everyone. There had been rumors that both Schalke and Wolfsburg wanted the German player but eventually Wolfsburg succeeded in convincing Schürrle to join them and sign a contract until 2019.
Nevertheless, it is no secret that the 24-year-old must not have been the happiest player at Chelsea due to the little time he was chosen to play recently in the Premier League or the Champions League. He was not even featured in the last League Cup. Furthermore, Schürrle’s last match playing for the blues was on the 17th January when he entered the match minute 76’ and scored a goal minute 79’. That match also happens to be the only one he played in 2015. There is no doubt that the reason was not his lack of talent but the strong competition between him and other talented teammates like Oscar, Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba and Diego Costa. So there was little place in the squad for Schürrle who failed to make the first-team berth at Stamford Bridge. That is why some questions were raised when the team’s manager Mourinho signed Colombian Juan Cuadrado who is also a winger.
No matter what the reason was for Schürrle’s transfer, the German is pleased with this change. He tweeted on that day both a farewell to Chelsea and talked about his excitement to join the German club. “Thank you so much to everyone at @ChelseaFC !! It’s been a real pleasure to wear this shirt!! All the best for team!!” said Schürrle and then continued in German saying: “First day in #wolfsburg 🙂 I cannot wait to play with the team!! Let’s go #wolves @VfL_Wolfsburg.” Next day, he was already in training with the team.
Schürrle is a good finisher and is capable of executing counter-attacks effectively. Wolfsburg must be happy to capture the World Cup 2014 champion. He scored a brace in Germany’s Semi-Finale against Brazil and assisted Mario Gotze in the winning goal during minute 113 in the Finale against Argentina. Manager Dieter Hecking thrilled on this move saying “He’s a player that fits in well at Wolfsburg with his dynamism and goal threat.” Kevin De Bruyne, the club’s midfielder, also commented the following: “Any strengthening of the squad is always welcome.”
During his first press conference following his return, the player was asked about his fitness and he said he was eager to get back to his best form, and be back on the pitch to help his team move forward. He also commented that he was willing to play on the left or in central positions. On his decision to join the club, he explained that: “I wanted to do what I love and what is fun for me and that is to play football. I could only do it briefly at Chelsea in the past weeks and it was clear that Wolfsburg would afford me the opportunity to do that more often. The concept the club presented convinced me and I’m delighted to be a part of it.” Wolfsburg are right now second in the Bundesliga table with 41 points, and 8 points away from FC Bayern, so it looks like Schürrle won’t be disappointed.
The new wolf did not disappoint in his first match against Hoffenheim last Saturday. In minute 3, he set up Bas Dost’s early goal, and played a role in another goal winning that match 3-0 eventually. Impressive performance for his first game! The team is already making him feel welcome in his old club, contacting him and making sure he had everything he needed. The only hope is that André Schürrle continues on this pace and demonstrates the same level and play-making capabilities he already showcased.
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