SHA
Small Heath Alliance
17:05, Wed 5 Aug
Birmingham City moved quickly to sign Kristoffer Lund after losing Kai Wagner in July
[www.birminghammail.co.uk]
[www.birminghammail.co.uk]
Birmingham City told what to expect from 'workhorse' after being shocked into transfer
Birmingham Mail 17:05, Wed 5 Aug
PJ1966
0
Replying to Birmingham Mail
18:44, Wed 5 Aug
Birmingham City told what to expect from 'workhorse' Kristoffer Lund
Kai Wagner’s sterling start to life back at Philadelphia Union has done little to ease Birmingham City’s pain of losing him.
The German left-back is living up to his name as the Union’s ‘assist king’ with three assists in his first three MLS matches after a transfer request that caught Blues by surprise.
Chris Davies had no plans to sign a left-back this summer but Wagner’s desire to return to Philadelphia forced Blues to fire up the search engine on their transfer supercomputer.
Kristoffer Lund, a 24-year-old USA international who played 33 games in the Bundesliga for FC Köln last season, was the best option on the table.
Köln decided against taking up their option to sign Lund permanently from Palermo and Blues acted swiftly to bring him to England.
“He’s one of those players that as soon as I saw him I really liked him – strong, robust, technically good,” says Blues manager Davies. “He can play as that wing-back and wants to get forward but he’s a reliable player.
“Losing Kai was a shock and it came about quite quickly, and took us by surprise a little bit to be honest, but it’s a new opportunity to bring someone in.
“He’s got to earn his place because Alex Cochrane has just delivered a fantastic performance (against Barcelona). We need him to get going.
“He’s been with the City Group training and we’re just trying to build his fitness up.”
As alluded to by Davies, Palermo are part of the City Football Group the parent company which owns Manchester City and a host of other clubs across the globe – and Blues have forged a link over the last 12 months.
Blues signed Jhon Solis from Girona, who are also owned by City Football Group, earlier this summer.
More interesting to supporters will be Davies’ description of Lund. Standing at six feet tall, the Denmark-born defender will add height to the back-line but it’s his ability to get up and down the flank that attracted Blues to him.
“When I think of Kristoffer Lund, the first thing that comes to mind is a workhorse,” Jan Lukas Elskamp, who follows Köln, told BirminghamLive.
“Lund is a hard worker on the left flank, relying primarily on his athleticism. His commitment, however, is what truly stands out. Beyond that, he has neither particularly outstanding strengths nor weaknesses. You could always rely on him and knew you were getting a solid, dedicated performance.”
Davies wanted a different option to Alex Cochrane to give Blues flexibility and unpredictability in their play, which is what Wagner provided from January onwards.
While Lund doesn’t boast the same assists record as Wagner – few full-backs do, in truth – he has been a regular chance creator at his previous clubs. Most notably at Swedish side Hacken, where he recorded 12 assists in three seasons and seven in 2022 when they won the Allsvenskan.
The Allsvenskan has become a more popular breeding ground in recent years and Blues signed striker August Priske directly from Swedish side Djurgarden in January, whilst they agreed a deal for Mjällby AIF winger Abdoulie Manneh that ultimately collapsed.
But Lund’s season in Germany’s top flight, for a Köln side that finished 14th, was his first taste of life in a top European league and he acquitted himself well by all accounts.
He started 26 Bundesliga games, appearing as a substitute in a further seven, and provided two assists. The second of those assists came against Union Berlin in early May, when Lund collected the ball in an advanced left wing position and picked out goalscorer Said El Mala with a pinpoint cutback.
That is an example of what Lund can do but the American has a tall order replicating Wagner’s creativity.
Wagner created 31 chances in his 16 starts – no Blues player managed more per 90 minutes last season. Lund created 20 chances in the Bundesliga last season, as per FOTMOB, and four fell into the ‘big chances’ category.
The key difference is that Lund was technically playing at a higher level than Wagner and should have more joy and ball for Blues in the Championship than for a Köln side battling relegation from the Bundesliga.
Explaining Lund’s season in Germany, Elskamp said: “Last season in Cologne, there were two coaches: Lukas Kwasniok, under whom Lund was signed, favoured a very risky style of play. This meant that the full-backs were expected to take risks and cover a lot of ground. It's therefore not surprising that the scouts chose Lund.
“FC Köln predominantly played with a back four. Looking at the statistics, it's noticeable that Lund only provided two assists. This is also due to the fact that (Jakub) Kaminski and El Mala, the two outstanding players, operated on the left wing, winning the ball and then cutting inside. Lund was primarily responsible for defensive work behind them.
“Under Rene Wagner, a more pragmatic approach was adopted, and a back five was occasionally used. In this more defensive system, Lund received somewhat more support. However, it also became apparent that he wasn't the strongest tackler in this formation either. While I wouldn't call that a definite weakness, it did show that his defensive flaws weren't solely due to his offensive system.”
Lund certainly has more scope for development than 29-year-old Wagner and maybe more impressive physical qualities too. And let’s not forget, Davies has made it his mission to recruit athletes this summer with all five signings six-feet-plus.
Elskamp concluded: “To understand Lund, one has to emphasise the dynamism he needs for his game. It's important for him to utilise his running ability, which allows him to create opportunities both offensively and defensively. I would be surprised if he were to become a standout player. However, one can be certain that he is an ambitious character, an exemplary worker, and also a likeable sportsman.”
Kai Wagner’s sterling start to life back at Philadelphia Union has done little to ease Birmingham City’s pain of losing him.
The German left-back is living up to his name as the Union’s ‘assist king’ with three assists in his first three MLS matches after a transfer request that caught Blues by surprise.
Chris Davies had no plans to sign a left-back this summer but Wagner’s desire to return to Philadelphia forced Blues to fire up the search engine on their transfer supercomputer.
Kristoffer Lund, a 24-year-old USA international who played 33 games in the Bundesliga for FC Köln last season, was the best option on the table.
Köln decided against taking up their option to sign Lund permanently from Palermo and Blues acted swiftly to bring him to England.
“He’s one of those players that as soon as I saw him I really liked him – strong, robust, technically good,” says Blues manager Davies. “He can play as that wing-back and wants to get forward but he’s a reliable player.
“Losing Kai was a shock and it came about quite quickly, and took us by surprise a little bit to be honest, but it’s a new opportunity to bring someone in.
“He’s got to earn his place because Alex Cochrane has just delivered a fantastic performance (against Barcelona). We need him to get going.
“He’s been with the City Group training and we’re just trying to build his fitness up.”
As alluded to by Davies, Palermo are part of the City Football Group the parent company which owns Manchester City and a host of other clubs across the globe – and Blues have forged a link over the last 12 months.
Blues signed Jhon Solis from Girona, who are also owned by City Football Group, earlier this summer.
More interesting to supporters will be Davies’ description of Lund. Standing at six feet tall, the Denmark-born defender will add height to the back-line but it’s his ability to get up and down the flank that attracted Blues to him.
“When I think of Kristoffer Lund, the first thing that comes to mind is a workhorse,” Jan Lukas Elskamp, who follows Köln, told BirminghamLive.
“Lund is a hard worker on the left flank, relying primarily on his athleticism. His commitment, however, is what truly stands out. Beyond that, he has neither particularly outstanding strengths nor weaknesses. You could always rely on him and knew you were getting a solid, dedicated performance.”
Davies wanted a different option to Alex Cochrane to give Blues flexibility and unpredictability in their play, which is what Wagner provided from January onwards.
While Lund doesn’t boast the same assists record as Wagner – few full-backs do, in truth – he has been a regular chance creator at his previous clubs. Most notably at Swedish side Hacken, where he recorded 12 assists in three seasons and seven in 2022 when they won the Allsvenskan.
The Allsvenskan has become a more popular breeding ground in recent years and Blues signed striker August Priske directly from Swedish side Djurgarden in January, whilst they agreed a deal for Mjällby AIF winger Abdoulie Manneh that ultimately collapsed.
But Lund’s season in Germany’s top flight, for a Köln side that finished 14th, was his first taste of life in a top European league and he acquitted himself well by all accounts.
He started 26 Bundesliga games, appearing as a substitute in a further seven, and provided two assists. The second of those assists came against Union Berlin in early May, when Lund collected the ball in an advanced left wing position and picked out goalscorer Said El Mala with a pinpoint cutback.
That is an example of what Lund can do but the American has a tall order replicating Wagner’s creativity.
Wagner created 31 chances in his 16 starts – no Blues player managed more per 90 minutes last season. Lund created 20 chances in the Bundesliga last season, as per FOTMOB, and four fell into the ‘big chances’ category.
The key difference is that Lund was technically playing at a higher level than Wagner and should have more joy and ball for Blues in the Championship than for a Köln side battling relegation from the Bundesliga.
Explaining Lund’s season in Germany, Elskamp said: “Last season in Cologne, there were two coaches: Lukas Kwasniok, under whom Lund was signed, favoured a very risky style of play. This meant that the full-backs were expected to take risks and cover a lot of ground. It's therefore not surprising that the scouts chose Lund.
“FC Köln predominantly played with a back four. Looking at the statistics, it's noticeable that Lund only provided two assists. This is also due to the fact that (Jakub) Kaminski and El Mala, the two outstanding players, operated on the left wing, winning the ball and then cutting inside. Lund was primarily responsible for defensive work behind them.
“Under Rene Wagner, a more pragmatic approach was adopted, and a back five was occasionally used. In this more defensive system, Lund received somewhat more support. However, it also became apparent that he wasn't the strongest tackler in this formation either. While I wouldn't call that a definite weakness, it did show that his defensive flaws weren't solely due to his offensive system.”
Lund certainly has more scope for development than 29-year-old Wagner and maybe more impressive physical qualities too. And let’s not forget, Davies has made it his mission to recruit athletes this summer with all five signings six-feet-plus.
Elskamp concluded: “To understand Lund, one has to emphasise the dynamism he needs for his game. It's important for him to utilise his running ability, which allows him to create opportunities both offensively and defensively. I would be surprised if he were to become a standout player. However, one can be certain that he is an ambitious character, an exemplary worker, and also a likeable sportsman.”