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The seven Englishmen in Bundesliga this term – and how they are faring

Former Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham prospects have made the brave the decision to move to Germany – but how are they faring in the Bundesliga?

Jadon Sancho is attracting plenty of attention thanks to his dazzling form for Borussia Dortmund, but a number of other Englishmen are also plying their trade in Germany’s top flight.

We’ve taken a closer look at the seven Englishmen trying to make a name for themselves in the Bundesliga this season.

Jadon Sancho

You’ve probably heard of him by now. Another brace at the weekend means Sancho’s record this season currently reads five goals and seven assists in 541 minutes in Bundesliga and the Champions League.

Add to that a first senior England cap, and it’s fair to say the 18-year-old made a pretty good decision to swap Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund.

Reiss Nelson

With Sancho grabbing all the headlines, Nelson’s performances on loan at Hoffenheim have gone slightly under the radar.

The 18-year-old admits he wasn’t considering as loan move away from Arsenal after breaking into their first team last season, but he has made an electric start to life in Germany.

Nelson has already scored four times in just five Bundesliga appearances (two of which were as a substitute), while he has also had a taste of Champions League football.

According to Bild, Hoffenheim are already keen to make the forward’s loan move permanent, although manager Julian Nagelsmann has urged for patience with the player.

“Reiss has huge potential to develop,” Nagelsmann said last week. “He’s excellent one-on-one with a great drive towards the opposition goal. That’s why we loaned him.

“We must be mindful. Nelson’s scored four goals, two very important ones against Nuremberg, but he’s also had bad games. He needs to grow healthily. It’s like in music – one song puts bread on the table but only for a few weeks.

“Be careful when evaluating him. Let him grow in peace and don’t get into his head. It’s not easy to keep your feet on the ground at 18.”

Chima Okoroji

Born to an English mother and Nigerian father, Okoroji’s name will not be particularly familiar to fans in Britain given he has spent his entire career in Germany to date.

The 21-year-old started out at Bayern Munich and had a spell at Augsburg but is currently at Freiburg, where he made his Bundesliga debut earlier this month.

READ: The Englishman who spent 10 years at Bayern & is still in the Bundesliga

Keanan Bennetts

Bennetts left Tottenham to join Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer citing Jadon Sancho as the example he is trying to follow.

The 19-year-old, who is half German, has so far been playing for the club’s second team in Regionalliga West, although he will be aware Sancho had to be patient before breaking into Dortmund’s first team.

Mandela Egbo

Another prospect at Monchengladbach, Egbo has been described by sporting director Max Eberl as “a player with huge potential”.

Born in England to Nigerian parents, the 21-year-old made his Bundesliga debut last season but, like Bennetts, has so far only appeared for the second team this term.

Danny Collinge

Collinge has now been in Germany for four years after turning down a scholarship at MK Dons to join Stuttgart in a move which also saw him study for an International Baccalaureate.

The 20-year-old defender is yet to make his Bundesliga debut but has made the step up from Stuttgart’s youth team to their reserve side this term.

Denzeil Boadu

Boadu made the same move as Sancho last summer in swapping Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund, although he is yet to make a first-team breakthrough.

“Denzeil was a great talent in youth,” Dortmund youth boss Ingo Preus told Bild. “But then some injuries have thrown him back. We’re trying to get him back to the level he’s been at.”


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