After an outstanding season at Stuttgart, Deniz Undav was signed permanently by the Bundesliga … (+)
Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart has finally signed star striker Deniz Undav from Brighton. According to a report from Transfermarkt, this is a record deal for the Swabians. Stuttgart initially paid 26.7 million euros (29.2 million dollars) to Brighton, plus additional services that could increase the deal to 30 million euros (32.8 million dollars). The 28-year-old striker has signed a three-year contract with the club.
“After long and demanding negotiations, we have negotiated a contract that allows us to plan for Deniz in the long term,” said Fabian Wolgemuth, VfB Stuttgart’s sports director, in a club statement. “The transfer is a completely different matter for us financially, but we are investing in proven quality. We are happy to have finalized the deal and are looking forward to the future with Deniz.”
Stuttgart originally signed Undav on loan a season ago. The 28-year-old scored 18 goals and provided ten assists in 30 league games. Undav was an important part of the Stuttgart team that finished second behind champions Leverkusen, and his goalscoring rate secured him a place in the German team’s squad for Euro 2024.
Undav’s breakthrough season, however, did not leave him unscathed for Brighton. Stuttgart had a clause that made Undav’s transfer permanent for 25 million euros ($27.3 million). But Brighton also had a buyback clause that would have allowed the Premier League club to cover the transfer fee and bring Undav back to England.
The strong season in Stuttgart and Undav’s success with the national team have led to the striker’s market value rising to 25 million euros (27.3 million dollars), a trend that is likely to continue as Undav will be an important part of Julian Nagelsmann’s national team going forward.
Brighton also signed new German coach Fabian Hürzeler from second division club St. Pauli this summer. Hürzeler has closely observed Undav’s record in Germany and realised that the striker could be a perfect fit for Brighton.
Deniz Undav was part of a German team that impressed at the 2024 European Championship. (Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer – … (+)
With this in mind, Brighton decided to play poker. The club believed that Undav would significantly increase his market value in the coming season and could command an even higher transfer fee next summer. But there was one problem: Undav had no desire to return to England.
“For a year, nothing came out of Brighton,” Undav said in an interview with Agit Kabayel on YouTube. “In the year I was away from Brighton, I never really got any recognition and nobody cared about me.”
Undav has always clearly expressed his desire to stay in Stuttgart and play in the Champions League with the Bundesliga club. “My wish was always to stay at VfB,” Undav said in a club statement. “Now that the wait is over and I’m back here, it’s a great feeling.”
Stuttgart was also pleased that the negotiations had finally come to a positive conclusion. “Deniz has achieved an extraordinary amount in his first year in Stuttgart,” said Wohlgemuth. “Deniz is an inspiring guy who plays an important role in the social fabric of the group and who has quickly become a popular player here on and off the pitch.”
The transfer is indeed a milestone for Stuttgart. After both Serhou Guirassy and Waldemar Anton left for Dortmund and Hiroki Ito left for Bayern Munich, Stuttgart was finally able to stop the bleeding when Christian Führich joined the club earlier this summer.
Now Undav is back and although Stuttgart is likely to face a more difficult season than last year, there is now a good chance that the club can stabilize itself in the top half of the table.
