In light of Christopher Nkunku’s £52m recent transfer from RB Leipzig to Chelsea we present the most successful German Imports since Volkswagen and the Royal family…

Heung-Min Son

Since his transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, Son has been a sensation, forming a formidable attacking partnership alongside England captain, Harry Kane. The 2021/22 season witnessed Son’s outstanding performance as he shared the golden boot award with Liverpool’s Mo Salah. No Son highlight reel would be complete without his solo effort at Burnley in December 2019 (running from one end of the pitch to the other, past seven players, to score a superb individual goal). However, much like the rest of his Tottenham teammates, Son went a little off the boil last season.

Kevin De Bruyne

Technically Kevin had a stint in the Premiership with Chelsea (2012-14) prior to making his name at Wolfsburg. Bizarrely, similar to Mo Salah, Kevin wasn’t highly regarded by Chelsea and was eventually sold to the German club for £18m. In his debut Bundesliga season, he made a significant impact , scoring 10 and providing 21 assists, (setting a Bundesliga record) which earned him the Germany Player of the year award. The subsequent season saw Kevin move to Manchester City for a £55m fee, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ilkay Gundogan

Gundogan holds the distinction of being Pep Guardiola’s first signing at Citeh, for a fee believed to be in the region of £20m. This price tag seems like the kind of bargain that would make Martin Lewis blush. Prior to his 2016 move, Gundogan made over 100 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, finding the back of the net 10 times. Speculation continues to mount about his destination for the 23/24 season, with reports suggesting Barcelona showing keen interest in securing the services of the only German on this list.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Another Ex-Dortmund Alumni, Auba is reported to have cost Arsenal £56m in January 2018. His current form makes him a controversial choice as a success story. However, it’s his 60 goals in 95 appearances between 2018-2020 for Arsenal that justifies his inclusion. From 2020 onwards his form has taken a dip leaving fans and pundits questioning his consistency (although he did bag 13 in 23 for Barcelona throughout the 21/22 season). Auba struggled to make an impact during a disastrous campaign for Chelsea, scoring only one league goal in 15 appearances as they finished a disappointing 12th place. Perhaps a big money move to Saudi Arabia for one last
bumper pay-check would be a logical next step for the Gabon international.

Roberto Firmino

Bobby has become a cult hero at Anfield since his 2015 transfer from 1899 Hoffenheim. He was part of the deadly attacking trio alongside Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, winning the League, Champions League and holding the record for the highest scoring Brazilian (82 goals) in the premier league. He also managed to post a picture of his wife’s nether regions on Instagram. Roberto said goodbye to Liverpool with a goal in the 4-4 thriller against Southampton on the final day of the season. He is yet to announce his next club.

Erling Bruat Haaland

Apparently, since his move from Dortmund he’s scored a lot of goals.

Honourable Mentions

Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich > Chelsea 2006)
Vincent Kompany (Hamburger SV > Man City 2008)
Leroy Sane (Shalke 04 > Man City 2014)
Dietmar Hamann (Bayern Munich> Newcastle 1998)

Next week – the flops….