Lookman, Sancho, Belligham: How English players have fared in the Bundesliga

Young superstar Jude Bellingham has been heavily linked a big money move to Liverpool this week, as they look to reinforce their midfield.

In this article, we have broken down the stats of five English players who have recently played or are still playing in the German first-tier, to see how they fared in the competition. 

Some had massive success in Germany, whilst others have really struggled with the different style of football. 

 

Jude Bellingham: Borussia Dortmund 2020–Present

Jude Bellingham’s time with Borussia Dortmund has been nothing short of sensational. 

After joining the club from Birmingham City for £22.5 million in the Summer of 2020, Bellingham quickly established himself as a regular starter. Now, the 19-year-old has a reputation as one of the most exciting young midfielders in the world.  

In his 93 matches so far for Dortmund, Bellingham has mostly played a box-to-box role and has excelled. 

He is a big defensive asset, covering more ground than any other Dortmund player last season. He is also a strong tackler too, making an average of 1.6 successful challenges per game. 

When it comes to his playmaking, he shows maturity and vision beyond his years: averaging 1.2 key passes per 90 minutes and chalking up 18 assists in his 93 games so far.

But what really stands out about Bellingham is his confidence going forward. He can carry the ball from defence to attack effectively with 1.7 successful dribbles per game and when he gets close to the opposition’s box, he isn’t afraid to shoot; making 1.4 shots on target per game… scoring 11 for Dortmund. 

His good performances have already earned him 15 caps for England too, and he looks like he’ll be a huge player for his country in the future. 

Transfermarkt estimates the youngster’s current value at £72 million, but he still has the potential to get even better. If Liverpool can get the deal over the line, he could be their main man in midfield for many years to come. 

Played: 93
Tackles per 90: 1.6
Pass success: 83.7%
Key passes per 90: 1.2
Dribbles per 90: 1.7
Shots per 90: 1.4 
Assists: 18
Goals: 11

 

Jadon Sancho: Borussia Dortmund 2017-2021

Another Englishman who flourished at Borussia Dortmund was Jadon Sancho… who was considered one of the best wingers in the world when playing in the Bundesliga. 

A versatile player with the ability to play on either flank or even as a striker on occasion, Sancho was both a goal threat and very creative for Dortmund. 

Sancho played 137 games for BVB in total and always looked dangerous… you would not want to be a full-back playing against him on top form. 

He averaged 2.6 key passes and 1 cross per match for Dortmund, often linking up very well with his now-rival Erling Haaland. In total, he made 64 assists for BVB during his time there. In fact, he made the most assists in the entire Bundesliga in 2018-19 with 14, and came second the following campaign, with 16. 

But Sancho was also a constant goal threat. He scored 50 goals in his Dortmund career. Adding that to his assists, the Englishman averaged an incredible 0.83 goal contributions per game. 

Like Bellingham, his performances have also earned him 23 England caps so far. 

The only surprise with Sancho is that he reached nowhere near the heights he did at Dortmund with Manchester United last season, scoring just 5 in 40 games. 

At just 22 years old, he still has lots of time to bounce back, but will he go on to regret making the switch from the Bundesliga to the Premier League? 

Played: 137
Pass success: 82.4%
Key passes per 90: 2.6
Crosses per 90: 1
Dribbles per 90: 3
Shots per 90: 2
Assists: 64
Goals: 50

 

Ademola Lookman: RB Leipzig 2017-2020 

Ademola Lookman initially joined RB Leipzig on loan from Everton in 2018, after struggling for first-team minutes with the Toffees. 

He then went on to join permanently in the following season, after putting in some decent performances. 

A quick, skilful winger, Lookman’s best attributes are his dibbling and chance creation. However, his stats in Germany weren’t brilliant. 

He averaged just 0.7 successful dribbles per game, along with 0.3 crosses and 0.6 key passes per match. It’s fair to that he didn’t kick on as you’d expect considering his potential at the time. 

Lookman was a decent goal threat though, averaging 0.9 shots on target per 90 for Leipzig. 

Overall, he scored 5 goals and made 6 assists for Leipzig in 24 appearances, but in fairness 10 of these were off the bench. 

In 2020, Lookman went on loan to Fulham, where he played much better in the Championship. Whereas last season he was loaned to Leicester, where again he performed better than in Germany but didn’t look particularly special. 

It’s fair to say that while Lookman has gotten gradually better over his career, his three years playing in Germany weren’t the best. 

Played: 24 
Pass success: 82%
Key passes per 90: 0.6
Crosses per 90: 0.3
Dribbles per 90: 0.7
Shots per 90: 0.9
Assists: 4
Goals: 5

 

Demarai Gray: Bayer Leverkusen 2021-2021 

It was somewhat of a surprise when Demarai Gray left Leicester city to join Bayer Leverkusen in 2021, and he would ultimately spend just 6 months at the club. 

Gray played 12 matches for Leverkusen in which he failed to become a consistent starter due to failing to convert big chances in games. He was a frustrated figure in Germany. 

He still carried the attributes that he always has: his running with the ball was decent, averaging 0.9 successful dribbles per match, and he created some decent good chances for his teammates too, playing 0.9 key passes per game, getting 2 assists overall. 

Gray scored just once in the Bundesliga, on his debut against Stuttgart in a 5-2 victory. Perhaps the fact that he started so well and then failed to push on is why the Leverkusen fans became so frustrated with him.

He returned to Premier League football after joining Everton last season, where he has scored 6 goals in 41 appearances so far. 

Played: 12
Pass success: 77.1%
Key passes per 90: 0.9
Crosses per 90: 0.5
Dribbles per 90: 0.9
Shots per 90: 1.5
Assists: 2
Goals: 1

 

Jonjoe Kenny: Schalke 2019-20, Hertha BSC 2022-Present 

Another Everton-Bundesliga link, Jonjoe Kenny spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Schalke from the Toffees, before returning to Germany this summer, joining Hertha Berlin on a free transfer. 

In contrast to Lookman and Gray, the Bundesliga seems to suit Kenny’s hard-working, strong-tackling style and he quickly became a fan favourite at Schalke. 

Kenny averaged 1.6 tackles per match for Schalke, also making 0.8 interceptions and 2.4 clearances per game, helping his team to 7 clean sheets. Considering they struggled for points the following season when he’d left the club; he was an important player.  

He also showed some decent ability going forward at times, scoring two goals and making two assists for the German side. One of his goals was a great finish too, against his new club Hertha Berlin, where he smashed the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. 

He’s played three games so far for Hertha, so they will be hoping to see some more of that this season. 

Played: 37
Tackles per 90: 1.6
Interceptions per 90: 0.8
Clearances per 90: 2.4
Crosses per 90: 0.5
Assists: 3
Goals: 2
Clean sheets: 7

 

Reece Oxford: Borussia Monchengladbach 2017-18, Augsburg 2019-Present

23-year-old Reece Oxford has played the majority of his career in Germany, after an initial loan spell to Borussia Monchengladbach from West Ham in 2017-18,  before joining Augsburg permanently the following season after failing to break into the Hammers' first team. 

However, Oxford definitely made the right decision, as he has flourished in the Bundesliga. 

For Monchengladbach, Oxford got his first real taste of senior football, making 8 appearances for the club in his loan spell. He was mainly used off the bench, though.

But at Augsburg, he has gradually turned into a regular name on the team sheet, as his number of appearances has increased season on season: playing 30 games in the last campaign. 

He is tall, strong and reads the game very well for a young player. Oxford averages 0.9 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game for Augsburg. This may not sound too impressive for a centre-back, but you must remember that Augsburg are generally close to relegation every season, so without him, they really would be in trouble. 

He has one of the highest stats for clearances in the entire Bundesliga, with 5.6 per game and makes 1.1 blocks per 90 too. In total, in his 85 matches in Germany, he has kept 21 clean sheets, which as mentioned is more impressive given Augsburg’s poor record. 

All his stats have gradually improved with each season, so Oxford is definitely growing in the Bundesliga. If he keeps getting better, don’t be surprised if he makes a move to a top European side in the next couple of years.  

Played: 85
Tackles per 90: 0.9
Interceptions per 90: 2.4
Clearances per 90: 5.6
Blocks per 90: 1.1
Assists: 2
Goals: 3
Clean sheets: 21