$14.3 Million Signing Finally Fills Volland Void At Bayer Leverkusen

Adam Hlozek to Bayer Leverkusen has been one of the more interesting transfers of this summer window. The 19-year-old Czech striker will join Die Werkself in a deal worth $14.3 million initially. As reported by Transfermarkt, the deal can grow to $19.8 million once all performance-based bonuses are hit, and Sparta Prague will receive 30% of any future transfer.

“Adam Hlozek is a player, who can be dangerous as a supporting striker, as central-forward but also on the wing,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a club statement. “His flexibility, power, and effectiveness in the attack will make us more flexible.”

When rumors of the deal first emerged, many suspected that Hlozek would become the replacement for his compatriot Patrik Schick. Schick, however, has been signed to a new contract that will run until 2027 and does not include an exit clause.

Instead, Hlozek is supposed to complement an attacking core that already includes Moussa Diaby, Sardar Azmoun, Amine Adli, Paulinho, and when he finally returns from injury in November, super talent Florian Wirtz. Add to that Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk and Leverkusen will have one of the most dangerous attacks in the Bundesliga.

There is definitely plenty of depth, and Leverkusen could sell Diaby and Paulinho in the summer. Also, the depth in attack raises questions on where the different pieces will fit and whether Hlozek, in fact, is just a medium-term replacement for Schick after all.

The underlining numbers, however, suggest that in Hlozek, Leverkusen has finally signed a piece that could replace Kevin Volland. Leverkusen sold Volland to Monaco for $12.1 million in the summer of 2020.

Both at home in the center but also on the wing, Volland often plays like a icehockey player—a trade that he inherited from his father former German hockey national team forward Andreas Volland. Volland has a low center of gravity, is mobile, strong and dynamic. The 1860 Munich forward provided Leverkusen with significant flexibility as he could fill many roles at once—his only weakness was his aerial ability.

Hlozek has many of the same trades. A quick glance at their respective numbers show that they are very similar players. Like Volland, Hlozek is not a pure center-forward but can also play on the wings and off a true number 9 like Schick.

Furthermore, Volland and Hlozek had very similar numbers last season. Hlozek, playing in the weaker Czech league, had an xG of 14.49, Volland’s xG was 14.98. Hlozek scored 13 non-penalty goals, Volland 14 across all competitions.

While Volland is more efficient with his shots on target (30.63% vs 51.9%), Hlozek leads in several key categories that made him such an interesting proposition for decision-makers in Leverkusen. The Czech forward has more dribbles per 90 (5.13 vs 2.28), and played more key passes per 90 (0.64 vs 0.57). Hlozek also had more successful attacking actions per 90 minutes than Volland (3.98 vs 2.87).

The caveat on the data is that Volland has produced his numbers in a more competitive league. But the German striker is also ten years older and the added experience should balance out the gap in competitiveness that can be found between Ligue 1 and the Czech Fortuna Liga. Bottom line is, Leverkusen has found a player that will give them attacking flexibility not experienced since Volland was a key player for the team.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth