Bundesliga
A talented Brazilian is likely to leave Leverkusen. Will this mean more space for Hložek?
As the summer ends, speculation about Paulinho’s future at Bayer Leverkusen has increased. With seemingly endless options for young strikers, including new signing Adam Hlozek, the Brazilian could be that special man. Paulinho is entering the final year of his contract and has recorded just 8 goals and 5 assists in 4 years at the club. The winger arrived in Germany from Brazilian side Vasco de Gama in 2018 for a reported fee of €18 million. Paulinho has shown flashes but has struggled to find consistent game time and has missed almost a year in the 2019/20 season due to an ACL injury. Speaking to Brazilian newspaper O Globo, the 22-year-old said that “For me, my future is already decided. The club already knows I don’t want to stay another season.” The club must be losing money at BayArena as Paulinho’s market value has dropped to around €11 million. A return to Brazil or a stay in Europe are possible, but it is likely that if the Brazilian were to move this summer, a much lower fee could be achieved for his services.
Bayer Leverkusen has a fairly strong offensive line. However, not everyone can have a place in the starting line-up. Because of this, a talented Brazilian will probably leave the club, whose departure could mean more space for Adam Hložek.
Paulinho is on his way out
Leverkusen have a very strong team. Especially in the offense there are several players that many European big clubs would surely want. Bayer, however, is trying to keep the team together and intends to fulfill its ambitions.
Patrik Schick, Adam Hložek, Moussa Diaby, Florian Wirtz, Karim Bellarabi and Amine Adli. In particular, these six players will fight for places in the starting line-up. Schick and Diaby will form the backbone right from the start of the season. We will wait for Wirtz to recover. The remaining spots will be fought over.
And the list of players already lacks one man who doesn’t want to fight for a place in this competition. Paulinho, the 21-year-old Brazilian, has said he intends to leave after four years. “My future is decided. The club knows I don’t want to stay another season,” he was quoted by Bulinews.
Good news for Hložek?
Paulinho only started 24 games last season. While his productivity wasn’t great, given the number of minutes he played, he did little to contribute to the team. His plus point was his versatility. He could fill a spot anywhere on the offensive end.
His primary position, however, was left wing, where he made most of his passes. Neither was the 22-year-old Amine Adli sensationally productive, who, like Paulinho, often tended to play where he was needed.
Adli and Paulinho played roughly similar numbers of minutes. Both rotated through several positions, playing in attack, on both wings or as offensive midfielders. Despite their low productivity, both played over 1000 minutes.
This is great news for Hložek. Considering the expectations the club has for him, it is almost certain that he will get at least as much space as the two players mentioned above. For now, however, the question is what position coach Gerardo Seoane will want to use him in. However, Hložek will be well suited for the vacancy.
Source: Bulinews, O Globo, Bayer Leverkusen
