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Kevin Volland has not represented Germany since November 2016, but the Bayer Leverkusen forward might deserve an international recall for this summer’s Euros, writes Andy Wales.
The 27-year-old has matured and developed his game, adding more end product to his long-established attributes of tenacity, endeavour and smart movement.
This progression saw him become the subject of interest from Arsenal back in December. Gunners coach Mikel Arteta is said to be a huge fan of the all-action attacker, whose nine goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga this season have him leading the charts for his club.
Volland’s current contract expires in June 2021 and he has admitted he would be tempted by a move to the Premier League. In an interview with Sport 1, he said: “The Premier League is a very interesting place for me. The pace is extremely high, the league requires a lot of willingness to run – that would suit me.”
He did go on to say, “I feel very comfortable in Leverkusen and leave everything open,” so it’s far from a ‘come and get me’ plea, but he’s quite smartly left the door open.
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Volland first came to prominence at Hoffenheim in a team that included Roberto Firmino. As Firmino has gone on to redefine the role of a striker at Liverpool, Volland has demonstrated a comparable style at Leverkusen.
It’s fair to say Volland’s debut year at Bayer was somewhat disappointing, but since the departure of Javier Hernandez from the BayArena at the end of that season, Volland has increased his goal contribution.
The statistics illustrate this contrast in form. In the 2016/17 season, he scored just six goals and managed two assists in his 23 Bundesliga matches. In the time since, his 87 Bundesliga appearances have returned 37 goals and 18 assists.
Importantly, Volland is more than goals and assists to his team. The work he puts in is vital to a side looking to press high when out of possession. When they do have the ball, his constant movement makes him a headache for defenders and helps to create space and angles for teammates.
The likes of Kai Havertz, Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey and Karim Bellarabi are beneficiaries of Volland’s tireless work.
On the international front, Germany have a number of highly talented attacking options to select from: Timo Werner, Marco Reus, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Julian Brandt and the aforementioned Havertz.
Both current teammate Havertz and former teammate Brandt are fully aware of what Volland has to offer a team. They have both enjoyed and benefited from the space and opportunities created by him.
Reus, Gnabry and Sane are players that can be devastating when offered space to move into. Werner would also fall into that category and has been particularly effective for Leipzig this season when playing off a strike partner.
Volland’s brief international career lists 10 caps with only one goal. On the face of it, it’s not impressive, but scratch beneath the surface and you see that he barely featured in half those games.
Indeed, he only has three starts to his name and his last cap came during that difficult first year at Leverkusen. It would be unfair to judge him on those brief opportunities, especially given his development since.
At 27, Volland is in his physical prime, whilst now able to boast experience in addition to his many attributes.
His style of being an effective foil to those around him offers a team a different dimension. Leverkusen already benefit from this and Germany, with the many attacking talents at Joachim Löw’s disposal, can do too.
Volland is not, ever was, and is unlikely to ever be prolific in front of goal, but what he brings to a team has attracted the attention of Arsenal, and with the Euros to come this summer, it’s time for international recognition too.
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