FIFTEEN most memorable Bundesliga to Premier League transfers of all time

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Following Florian Wirtz's move from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, football writer Alex Keble lists his 15 most memorable Bundesliga to Premier League signings, plus some honourable mentions.

Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg to Man City)

By the time De Bruyne signed for Manchester City in 2015, following a 20-assist season at Wolfsburg, Chelsea already knew they’d made a mistake letting him leave the club in 2014, with just three Premier League appearances to the Belgian's name.

But they won’t have known quite to what extent. De Bruyne was an instant hit at the Etihad Stadium and only got better under the management of Pep Guardiola, who joined City one year after the midfielder.

De Bruyne is second on the all-time list for Premier League assists, with 119, also scoring 72 goals and winning 19 trophies as a Man City player, including six league titles.

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Dietmar Hamann (Bayern to Liverpool)

After moving to Liverpool from Bayern Munich, via a brief stint at Newcastle United, Hamann became a leader in central midfield and a crucial part of the Treble-winning team of 2000/01, winning nine trophies in total before leaving for Man City.

But the most memorable moment of Hamann's time at Liverpool was his role in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final. It was his introduction at half-time, with Liverpool trailing 3-0 to AC Milan, that helped to ignite the Reds' comeback.

Hamann’s addition to midfield turned the tide as Liverpool drew level, before the German scored the first penalty in the shootout – all remarkably while playing with a broken foot.

Dimitar Berbatov (Leverkusen to Spurs)

The nonchalant and carefree demeanour of Berbatov was well-earned. He was one of the most elegant, naturally-gifted forwards ever to grace the Premier League.

Signed from Bayer Leverkusen in 2006, Berbatov’s biggest moment at Tottenham Hotspur was scoring the equaliser in their 2008 EFL Cup final triumph before a move to Manchester United in the summer, where he won two Premier League titles.

After another cult-hero stint, this time at Fulham, Berbatov ended his Premier League career with 94 goals, ranking him 38th on the all-time list.

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Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig to Man City)

Gvardiol rose to fame with brilliant performances for Croatia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup as a centre-back, but since moving to Man City from RB Leipzig in 2023, he has also featured as a powerful, goalscoring left-back.

The 23-year-old has already scored 11 goals in two seasons at the Etihad, winning one Premier League title.

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Jadon Sancho (Dortmund to Man Utd)

There is still time for Sancho to revive his Premier League career following a successful loan at Chelsea last season, but at the time of writing, he is memorable predominantly for a disappointing spell at Man Utd.

Sancho put up world-class numbers for three years at Borussia Dortmund before the Englishman finally got a chance in his home country.

Few thought United had overpaid when they spent the reported fee of £73million to bring the winger to Old Trafford in 2021, but sadly Sancho soon became an afterthought at Man Utd.

Vincent Kompany (Hamburg to Man City)

When Man City bought Kompany from Hamburg in the summer of 2008, before the takeover, everyone knew this mid-table Premier League club had bought a talented up-and-comer.

Nobody could have predicted he would leave the Etihad as one of Man City's greatest players and the captain for four Premier League title successes, including that unforgettable first crown in 2011/12.

Kompany’s winning goal in the Manchester derby in late April of that season swung the title in City’s favour. Seven years on, the Belgian repeated his heroics with a sublime strike against Leicester City to keep Man City's title hopes alive. It was just one of many iconic game-changing contributions he made.

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Jens Lehmann (Dortmund to Arsenal)

Sometimes erratic and often brilliant, Lehmann will never be forgotten at Arsenal. His debut campaign, following a summer move from Borussia Dortmund, was the "Invincibles" season of 2003/04 - and Lehmann played every minute.

He was also instrumental in the 2005 FA Cup final win, making a string of saves, including one in the shootout, and the following year he helped Arsenal set a record of 10 consecutive UEFA Champions League clean sheets on their way to the final.

But it was a final defined by Lehmann’s red card after just 18 minutes of a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona.

Erling Haaland (Dortmund to Man City)

Haaland rocked up to the Etihad with a reputation as one of the best players in the world, and he quickly showed why, setting a new Premier League record with 36 goals in his first season.

Man City won the Treble that year and although neither Haaland nor the club have hit those heights since, the former Dortmund striker is already on 85 Premier League goals.

His contract, signed in January, runs for another nine years. At his current scoring rate Haaland only needs six of those to overtake Alan Shearer and become the Premier League’s greatest ever goalscorer.

Aubameyang scored 92 goals for Arsenal across four years following his move from Dortmund, but his time at Emirates Stadium, though memorable, is mixed.

Arsenal never finished higher than fifth when Aubameyang led the line. He never once played in the Champions League for the club, only doing so during a short loan at Chelsea in 2022/23.

Regardless, the Gabon international was still a quality player. Aubameyang was joint-winner of the 2018/19 Premier League Golden Boot award and played a huge role in Arsenal’s 2020 FA Cup triumph, scoring a brace in both the semi-final and final, against Man City and Chelsea respectively.

Lifting the UEFA Europa League in May, Spurs captain Son secured his place as one of the club’s all-time greats. It’s remarkable to think it was the first senior trophy of his career.

A player of his talents deserves more. Son, signed from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, has been inspirational throughout his 10 years in north London, most notably starring in the club’s run to the 2018/19 Champions League final.

He sits joint-16th in the Premier League’s all-time goalscorer list, with 127. Not bad for a left-winger.

Ilkay Gundogan (Dortmund to Man City)

Since 2016 Gundogan has played 221 Premier League matches across two stints at Man City, surpassing all expectations when he first joined from Dortmund in 2016.

He has so far won five Premier League titles and a further nine trophies – including the Champions League in 2023.

Gundogan scored the first and third goals when Man City came back from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 on the final day to lift the 2021/22 Premier League title, as well as the earliest FA Cup final goal in history - 12 seconds, in 2023, the first of two goals to beat Man Utd 2-1 at Wembley.

Roberto Firmino (Hoffenheim to Liverpool)

There aren’t many footballers whose playing style changes the way we think about the game. Firmino is certainly one of them.

Signed from Hoffenheim in 2015, Firmino’s lack of goals for Liverpool was originally seen as a problem, but in time his role alongside Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah was understood.

Firmino was the Premier League’s first "false nine". More significantly for Liverpool fans, across eight seasons at Anfield he won seven trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League.

Michael Ballack (Bayern to Chelsea)

Ballack was a huge star when the then-30-year-old joined Chelsea from Bayern Munich in 2006 on a free transfer.

It was a slow burn for Ballack, but in his fourth and final season at Stamford Bridge he won the Premier League and FA Cup double, playing a crucial role in Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

Ballack won a total of three FA Cups and the EFL Cup, as well as playing in the 2008 Champions League final, which Chelsea lost to Man Utd.

Kai Havertz (Leverkusen to Chelsea)

Havertz has occasionally frustrated fans at both Chelsea and Arsenal, with his role sometimes being hard to define across the front line. Certainly, he hasn’t been able to match the elite numbers that earned him a move from Bayer Leverkusen.

But Havertz scored winning goals in the 2021 Champions League final and the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup Final and five years after arriving in England he continues to play a significant role in a title-chasing Premier League team.

Nevertheless, he remains something of an enigma.

Leroy Sane (Schalke 04 to Man City)

For two years Sane was one of the most important and crucial players in Guardiola’s Man City project; the dribbling winger who seemed to epitomise City’s patented cut-backs for Sergio Aguero.

He burnt bright, but not for long. Sane only had two good years at Man City, producing 25 Premier League goals and assists in 2017/18 followed by 20 goals and assists in 2018/19.

These happened to be City’s best years, when they won the title with 100 points and 98 points. Sane will forever be remembered as a starter for the greatest side in Premier League history.

Honourable Mentions

Ibrahima Konate (RB Leipzig to Liverpool)

Micky van de Ven (Wolfsburg to Spurs)

Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich to Liverpool)

Jean-Philippe Mateta (Mainz 05 to Crystal Palace)

Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich to Man Utd)

Kevin Schade (Freiburg to Brentford)

Wataru Endo (VfB Stuttgart to Liverpool)

Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Liepzig to Liverpool)

Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund to Man Utd)

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund to Man Utd)

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich to Man Utd)

Lukas Podolski (FC Koln to Arsenal)

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