The Bundesliga is renowned across Europe for platforming and selling some of the continent’s brightest young forwards. Marvin Ducksch, Birmingham City’s latest marquee arrival, departs German soil at a very different stage in his career however.
The twice-capped Germany international will be 32 by the time his debut season at St Andrew’s comes to an end.
That, plus his contract situation – he had only 12 months left on that deal at Werder Bremen – goes a long way to explain why Birmingham City snapped up Marvin Ducksch for a bargain fee of £1.7 million. Yet, what he maybe lacks in terms of longevity, the club’s new number 33 should more than make up for in productivity.
During a summer in which Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko all agreed moves to the Premier League for a combined initial fee of £233 million, the Blues have landed a forward who mustered 16 goals/ assists in one of Europe’s major leagues for only £500,000 more than third-tier Huddersfield Town paid for Alfie May.
Marvin Ducksch should easily pass the proverbial eye test, as far as intrigued Birmingham City supporters are concerned.
A quick YouTube gander will bring up fearsome free-kicks, laser-guided strikes from the edge of the box, and Ducksch’s personal party piece; Curling, right-footed finishes into the far top corner.
Of course, YouTube compilations can be deceiving. But, delve a little deeper, and the statistics also paint the picture of a forward who, to quote Bundesliga fanatic Tom Desborough on X, could ‘tear up the Championship’.
Marvin Ducksch celebrates during Borussia Dortmund v SV Werder Bremen - Bundesliga
Photo by Max Maiwald/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Marvin Ducksch arrives at Birmingham City after topping Bundesliga chart
With eight goals and eight assists during his final season at Werder Bremen, Ducksch arrives at St Andrews having mustered more ‘goal contributions’ than Dortmund playmaker Julian Brandt, Bayern Munich sensation Jamal Musiala, and Stuttgart’s £50 million-rated man mountain Nick Woltemade.
During the 2023/24 campaign, meanwhile, Ducksch produced an even more impressive return of 12 goals and nine assists. The tenth-most in Germany’s first division.
A greater tally than Leroy Sane, Xavi Simons, and Manchester City’s £59 million former Frankfurt talisman Omar Marmoush.
Influential stats site Opta, meanwhile, crunched the numbers and found that Ducksch actually sits at the top of the tree for one, particular metric.
A one-man, mass-producing chance-creation factory, Marvin Ducksch’s ability to create something extremely special out of very little was highlighted by Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann as a key reason underpinning his belated international call-up in 2023.
“He didn’t have an easy start at Werder, but he’s now back to a very good scoring record,” Nagelsmann said, while former Werder coach Ole Werner labelled him a ‘street footballer’ with a penchant for ‘special moments’.
“He takes very good set pieces and has a good finish, [and brings] a good degree of craziness which we need, especially when players come off the bench,” Nagelsmann added. “That can be very, very valuable.”
Kevin Hatchard says former Werder Bremen talisman Ducksch is a ‘great’ signing
German football commentator Kevin Hatchard can envisage Ducksch becoming the joker in Birmingham’s pack.
Nagelsmann felt that the former Dortmund youngster could bring the ‘craziness’ required in tense, tightly-fought international encounters.
With Chris Davies’ possession-based Blues outfit likely to come up against plenty of stacked defences in the Championship this term, meanwhile, Ducksch’s trademark, swerving strikes into the top corner from a full post-code away makes him a fearsome weapon in Birmingham’s already impressive arsenal.
“Ducksch to Birmingham City is a great pick-up,” Hatchard argues. “An experienced striker who takes a quality set-piece, and played superbly alongside [Niclas] Fullkrug at Werder Bremen. Experienced and technically gifted.
“Certainly worth having as a depth option, if not a starter.”