Contract for the audience favorite - "Geiles Gefühl" - Undov would like to confirm
Football national striker Deniz Undav stays true to his refreshing laid-back style. After the 4:0 win against Athletic Bilbao, the 28-year-old was "overjoyed" that his transfer to VfB Stuttgart finally went through. He immediately made it clear that he doesn't want to approach the season after the championship in a modest way.
"We don't want to play at the bottom, we want to stay higher up," said Undav. He said they want to aim for the "upper mid-table". "I believe no one wants a bad season compared to last year. Let's see what happens. We don't want to say we want to secure the class now." Of course, it depends on how the Swabians cope with the unfamiliar multiple burden.
Undav: "I have to prove my performance"
After two nerve-wracking seasons where VfB barely avoided relegation, the Stuttgart team stormed to second place last season. As runners-up, VfB qualified for the Champions League, but also learned the downside of success with the departures of captain and defensive chief Waldemar Anton, striker Serhou Guirassy (both Borussia Dortmund) and defender Hiroki Ito (FC Bayern).
With the successful end of the long back-and-forth and Undav's transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion to Stuttgart, the club avoided losing a fourth key player. The striker scored 18 times in the last Bundesliga season. "Now I have to prove my performance," said Undav: "I can definitely do it."
Undav misses call from agents in VfB jersey
He can still be sure of the fans' affection. In the final tough test before the Supercup clash in Leverkusen next Saturday, the striker was only substituted in the closing minutes. He was already celebrated with chanting long before the surprisingly clear victory against the disappointing Spanish cup winners. "I can't hear anything. Or only my name, so to speak," Undav joked later: "It was a great feeling even during the warm-up."
The transfer poker with constantly changing information was mentally demanding for him. In the end, the German-Turk became Stuttgart's record signing. Including bonuses, the transfer fee is said to amount to around 30 million euros.
His agents informed him via FaceTime call and in the Stuttgart jersey that the transfer to VfB was a go after last season's loan. "I missed the first call," he admitted. Then his wife woke him up. "I called my father, my mother. We couldn't believe it."
Undav expressed his ambitions for the upcoming season, saying, "We don't want to play at the bottom, we want to stay higher up, aiming for the upper mid-table." Despite the challenges of coping with multiple responsibilities, Undav is determined to prove his performance after scoring 18 goals in the last Bundesliga season.
