As coach Niko Kovac announced after the victory in Frankfurt, Max Kruse will no longer play for VfL Wolfsburg. A hard but understandable decision. Nevertheless, the question arises as to why VfL did not part with Kruse during the transfer period. A comment
Those responsible in Wolfsburg (and all of football Germany) knew from the start that the relationship between discipline fanatic Kovac and bon vivant Kruse could be difficult. The 34-year-old undoubtedly has qualities “that not many in the Bundesliga have,” as Kovac aptly stated during pre-season. However, Kruse’s penchant for self-expression and his proudly presented Hallodritum are also unparalleled.
The end of the offensive man is therefore not surprising. With zero goals, zero assists, a few kilos too much on his ribs and provocative statements on social media, Kruse only caused a stir off the field. In view of a contract that runs until 2023, the question arises as to how things will continue with the 14-time national player at VfL.
According to reports, an exclusion from professional training is not planned and can hardly be enforced from an employment law perspective. A sale is also ruled out due to the closed transfer window. Only a contract termination would give the wolves the opportunity to quickly and quietly close the Max Kruse chapter.
But even if the Lower Saxony agrees with the attacker on a (of course expensive) resolution of the working paper, the timing of the separation remains questionable. The Kruse-Aus comes too late and should have happened when the transfer window was still open.
The Causa Kruse therefore only knows losers: on the one hand the increasingly unpopular professional himself, on the other hand the long inconsistent VfL decision-makers around coach Niko Kovac, sports director Marcel Schäfer and managing director Jörg Schmadtke.
This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as a comment: The Causa Kruse only knows losers.
