2023-08-16 15:17:00
Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart does not see the big new figurehead of the German upper house in Bayern newcomer Harry Kane (30). “Will he improve the Bundesliga decisively? We’re already at a high level. A year ago, Sadio Mané also said that everything would get better. Now he’s gone once more. You saw his quality, but he didn’t become the savior that he was made to be when he was signed,” Baumgart warned in an interview with “Sport Bild”.
Market value of Harry Kane
Kane is the first Bundesliga signing for which a transfer fee of 100 million euros has been put on the table. “Harry Kane is a player we can’t afford. And if we had the money, we wouldn’t have thought regarding him either,” Baumgart said. The ex-Tottenham striker is a very good footballer, “but he’s not the type of player I would be looking for.” Rather, the FC coach would have chosen Victor Boniface (22).
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“In my opinion, the boy is one of the best strikers in Europe. He’s 22 years old, has a good body – you know that his development is far from over and that there is still a lot more to come from him. He recently played a top season for Saint Gilloise in the Europa League,” Baumgart explained his choice. Across all competitions, Boniface contributed 17 goals and 12 assists in 51 games for the Belgians last season.
Market value of Victor Boniface
“I’m curious to see who has the better future,” says Baumgart. “And now I’m going to say something that hurts me as the coach of 1. FC Köln. That FC Bayern did not buy Boniface, but Bayer Leverkusen.” The “Werkself” transferred a whopping EUR 20.5 million to Union SG, a fifth of the Kane fee. Although Baumgart does not see any clear championship favorites, he admits: “I think, and I don’t like to say that as a native of Cologne, Leverkusen will play a really great season and attack at the top.”
Baumgart praises Bayer Leverkusen – No clear goal for the season with 1. FC Köln
At EUR 57.5 million, Bayer 04 now have the fourth-highest expenditure in the Bundesliga comparison. In addition to up-and-coming players such as Boniface, Matej Kovar (23) and Arthur (20), Leverkusen also invested in the services of experienced professionals Granit Xhaka (30) , Jonas Hofmann (31) and Alejandro Grimaldo (27). “From my point of view, Leverkusen did a great job in the summer in terms of putting together the squad. Calm, matter-of-fact, with a clear focus. In addition to Boniface, players with character were brought in who fit well into the team in terms of age structure. The squad is stronger now, everything makes sense,” said Baumgart.
This is how Bayer 04 might play with Hofmann, Xhaka & Co
Baumgart does not want to set a goal for the season for his Cologne team, which cannot make any big leaps in the transfer market and mainly relies on free transfer players and loans: “You can see a development in our game. We are certainly predictable in our style of play. Still, no one catches us. If we continue on our way, we can have a successful season – without me naming a place in the table.”
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