A good two hours before midnight, the fears of the fans were over and the biggest transfer coup in the history of 1. FC Union Berlin was complete.
The Champions League debutant from Köpenick announced the commitment of national soccer player Robin Gosens from Inter Milan.
“I’ve always said that it’s my dream to play in Germany and the Bundesliga one day. Union’s last few years have been impressive, you’ve noticed that abroad too,” Gosens said in a statement from his new employer: “In the Talking to those responsible at the club, I felt a lot of respect and trust, so the decision wasn’t difficult for me.”
Performance boost led Gosens to the national team
In his unusual career, the Rhinelander switched from Heracles Almelo in the Netherlands to Atalanta Bergamo in Italy in 2017. A boost in performance followed in Serie A, which led him to the national team and also to Inter.
“With Robin we were able to sign a player who stands for dedication, mentality and team spirit,” explained professional football managing director Oliver Ruhnert: “He should now play a key role for us on and off the pitch.”
As usual, 1. FC Union did not provide any information on the duration of the spectacular commitment, with which the Irons are taking another step into new and, above all, international spheres. According to reports, however, Gosens has signed a contract until June 30, 2027. The transfer fee is said to be 15 million and thus far above the previous Union record transfers. For Josip Juranovic, who came from Celtic Glasgow in January 2023, and Taiwo Awoniyi, who moved from Liverpool to Berlin in the summer of 2021 and now plays for Nottingham Forest, the East Berliners are said to have transferred around 8.5 million euros each.
Volland is also to come
According to Sky, Union is also about to sign 15-time national player Kevin Volland. The center forward and his club AS Monaco are said to have reached an agreement with the Berliners. His contract with the Monegasques is valid for another year. The transfer fee for the attacker should be four million euros, the bonus payments are 1.5 million euros. Volland’s contract in the Principality is valid until June 30, 2024.
The change from Gosens to Union has been speculated for some time. After the farce about the Spanish star player Isco, where the deal fell through shortly before the signing on the last day of the winter transfer window, the tension among the fans increased until finally the completion was reported.
According to reports from “Bild” and Sky, Gosens landed with a private plane at BER Airport in Berlin. From there we went to the medical check and on to Köpenick, while the news came in from Milan that Inter had signed a replacement for the post at left-back in the Brazilian Carlos Augusto.
First German national player in the squad
Alumni Gosens should feel comfortable with Union, he fits into the club. He is regarded as an alternative to the adapted professionals of his generation. He also does not cultivate a star cult – in contrast to Max Kruse, who was once also meaningfully integrated at Union.
Gosens is not only the most prominent player in the Union jersey. He is also the first German national player in the squad of the Bundesliga promoted team from 2019. His move should also give him more playing time and thus increase his chances of participating in the European Championships in Germany next summer after 16 appearances.
