Whilst facing competition for Ajax forward Chuba Akpom, Championship side Birmingham City have turned their attention to Werder Bremen’s Marvin Ducksch as another option.
The Blues were in talks for the former Arsenal and Middlesbrough man, but are being challenged by Ipswich Town, and are therefore exploring a deal for the German striker.
Chris Davies’ side are returning to the second tier after winning League One last season and value the German striker high on their list of priorities, as reported by Football League World.
Birmingham revisit move for Bundesliga man
The Blues had highlighted Ducksch as one of their forward options in the market before focusing on a move for Akpom and will now take another look at him.
The striker, who made two appearances for the German national team in 2023, scored eight goals in 32 matches last season as Werder finished eighth in the Bundesliga.
He reached double figures in his two previous campaigns, which followed a 20-goal promotion-winning season in 2022.
Birmingham have already bolstered their forward line this summer with the addition of former Celtic man Kyogo Furuhashi, who joins Jay Stansfield in attack.
They also secured a deal for the return of former academy graduate Demarai Gray, who has re-joined the club nine years after leaving for Leicester City.
A move for Ducksch would see the experienced forward venture outside of Germany for the first time in his career, having previously operated exclusively in the top four divisions of his homeland.
Having started his career at giants Borussia Dortmund, he had short stints at Paderborn, St Pauli, Holstein Kiel and Fortuna Düsseldorf before a successful 18-month spell at Hannover secured him a move to Bremen, where he has now been for four years.
His two international caps came in friendlies against Turkey and Austria in November 2023, although he failed to score.
With Stansfield still just 22 years old, Ducksch would bring some experience to the Blues’ frontline, along with Furuhashi, and would further strengthen their case for having one of the division’s best attacks.
Current status of Akpom deal
With the Tractor Boys rivalling them for a move for the former Championship Player of the Season, Birmingham are waiting for the Dutch side and the player to agree on his destination.
The club prefer the Blues’ offer to immediately sign the forward on a permanent deal, however the Hale End graduate is more interested in joining Kieran McKenna’s side, as reported by journalist Ben Jacobs.
They are willing to agree a loan deal with an obligation to buy, if they secure a return to the Premier League, and the 29-year-old has passed a medical at Portman Road.
With the two sides set to face off in Friday’s Championship season-opener, the situation over the forward could heat up the encounter even more, with the potential of him featuring for one team if an agreement with Ajax is finalised in the coming days.
How do the two forwards compare?
Whilst Ducksch featured regularly for Werder Bremen in the 2024/25 season, Akpom struggled in the Eredivisie in the first half of the campaign before joining French side Lille on loan.
Overall, he scored 11 goals in 48 games in all competitions, compared to the German’s nine in 36.
According to FBref, Akpom had a higher shots on target percentage (44%) and goals per shot (0.14) than Ducksch (39% and 0.1), although the Bundesliga is generally seen as a harder division than both Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie.
Apart from shot-creating actions per 90 (3.83 for Ducksch, 2.38 for Akpom), the latter also led the way for aerial duels won, take-ons, ball carries and pass completion.
As a result, the stats suggest that Akpom is a more well-rounded player and, given his past success in the Championship, would likely fit in sooner, but Ducksch’s international recognition and goals history in one of Europe’s top five leagues show that he would certainly be an impressive signing for the Blues.
