There is a growing trend of younger players leaving the Premier League for the Bundesliga and we’ve taken a look at three youngsters out on loan in Germany. Jadon Sancho’s decision to leave Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund has paid off for the forward as he is now an England regular, and it seems to have been the catalyst for a few more to try their luck in the land of Wagner, Beethoven and Einstein.
Some have opted for permanent switches as Keanan Bennetts recently swapped Spurs for Borussia Monchengladbach, Rabbi Matondo left City for Schalke, Ademola Lookman returned to RB Leipzig after a previous loan spell at the club and Reece Oxford swapped West Ham for Augsburg.
Some have only made temporary moves, for the time being at least, so how are Jonjoe Kenny, Ethan Ampadu and Lewis Baker getting on in Germany?
Jonjoe Kenny at Schalke on loan from Everton
Kenny made his first appearance for Everton in the 2015-16 season but it is probably fair to say his development had stalled somewhat and he was allowed to join Schalke on loan for the season over the summer.
The 22-year-old’s career now seems to be back on an upward trajectory as he is a regular starter for the Royal Blues and managed his first senior goal against Hertha Berlin.
There isn’t a deal in place for Kenny to join Schalke permanently but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him stay in Germany.
The Liverpudlian has revealed he is learning German (“I do lessons three times a week”) and remained non-committal when asked about his future intentions.
He said: “Right now I’m in Schalke and I have a job to do and we’ll have to see what happens in the near future but right now I’m trying to focus game by game.”
Ethan Ampadu at RB Leipzig on loan from Chelsea
It was a bit of a surprise to see Chelsea agree to loan out Wales international Ampadu to RB Leipzig given their transfer ban over the summer but new boss Frank Lampard obviously felt he already had enough options in defence.
The 19-year-old initially struggled to force his way into contention at Leipzig and didn’t make his debut until the end of October. Ampadu has featured in the last two Bundesliga games though and there could be much more to come from him.
However, at the moment it is too early to make a judgement on whether his switch to Germany can be considered a success or not.
Lewis Baker at Fortuna Dusseldorf from Chelsea
While Kenny and Ampadu have joined clubs expected to challenge at the top end of the Bundesliga, Chelsea midfielder Baker will probably spend the season battling relegation with Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Fortuna have the option to buy the 24-year-old at the end of his temporary stint and so far he seems to be making a reasonably good impression in Dusseldorf.
Baker played in seven of their first eight games of the season but has been left on the bench for the last five and will be eager to reclaim a starting spot going forward as it looks unlikely he will be able to force his way into Lampard’s plans if he does end up back at Stamford Bridge.
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