BERLIN: Hertha Berlin brought Sami Khedira back to the Bundesliga after 10 1/2 seasons away on Monday, hopeful the World Cup winner will help lead the ambitious club to bigger and better things.
The 33-year-old former Germany midfielder was joining the club from Juventus, Hertha said on the last day of the winter transfer period. Hertha did not give the length of Khedira’s contract nor any other financial details of the deal.
Also, Schalke signed former Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi from Arsenal to cover the departure of 20-year-old centre-back Ozan Kabak on loan to Liverpool. Schalke said Liverpool had an option to buy for a fixed amount.
From an economic point of view, the transfer of Ozan Kabak makes a lot of sense for Schalke, especially considering the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Schalke sporting director Jochen Schneider said.
Mustafi joined Arsenal for 35 million pounds from Valencia in 2016 but was never a regular after coach Arsene Wenger’s departure in 2018. By the end of his spell in London, the 28-year-old Mustafi was regarded as an error-prone player who didn’t fit with Arsenals new approach under Mikel Arteta of defenders playing the ball out from the back.
Mustafi, who left Germany to join Everton in 2009 followed by spells at Sampdoria and Valencia, will make his Bundesliga debut at the bottom for a team with the worst defense in the league. Schalke have conceded 49 goals and have won just one of its 19 games.
Khedira, a team-mate of Mustafis when they won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, also reportedly had offers from England, but he joined big-spending Hertha despite its struggles in the Bundesliga. Only goal difference was keeping Hertha out of the relegation zone after 19 rounds.
Hertha also signed Serbian winger Nemanja Radonji on loan with an option to buy from Marseille. The 24-year-old Radonji scored seven times in 50 French league games since switching in 2018 from Red Star Belgrade.
City rival Union Berlin signed 22-year-old Croatian forward Petar Musa on loan from Slavia Prague. Musa scored 11 in 35 games for the six-time Czech champions.
Also, Eintracht Frankfurt signed the highly rated 18-year-old Turkish forward Ali Akman from Bursaspor, and Hoffenheim signed American defender Chris Richards on loan from Bayern Munich to the end of the season. The 21-year-old Richards knows Hoffenheim coach Sebastian Hoene from their time together at Bayerns reserve team.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2021
