Andre Schurrle To Wolfsburg Move Almost Derailed By FFP
Mandatory Credit: Tim Groothuis/Witters Sport via USA TODAY Sports
It has been revealed that former Chelsea FC midfielder Andre Schurrle’s move to Wolfsburg was nearly derailed by UEFA’s FFP regulations. The Bundesliga club is currently under investigation by UEFA for potential violations of those regulations and it nearly cost them the chance to sign Schurrle. Wolfsburg actually contacted UEFA prior to making the move official in order to ensure that they were given the green light to make the signing while under investigation.
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As ESPN FC reported, Wolfsburg has a minus-108 million Euro transfer balance since 2010, second only to Bayern Munich. They have spent relatively big on stars in recent years but nothing close to the sum paid for Andre Schurrle. Kevin De Bruyne was brought in January 2014 for around £19.5 million and Bayern’s Luiz Gustavo was purchased for just £14 million.
Also as ESPN FC pointed out, Bayern has had incredible success to point to as justification for their ridiculous spending on players like Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martinez. Wolfsburg unfortunately cannot make the same claim and have not finished higher than fifth in the Bundesliga since 2010. They are however second in the league now and have just come off a 3-1 trouncing of Bayern just last week courtesy of a De Bruyne double. If they can hold on to that top three or four place, which they look likely to do, then the financial windfall of the Champions League may be vital to balancing the budget.
The signing of a big name player like Andre Schurrle for a big money price (reportedly 32 million Euros) could be seen as a statement of intent from the club. They have the financial backing of a global automobile giant in Volkswagen and they appear ready to spend their way to success in the league and in Europe. Even if they spend all the money in the world they still have to contend with the FFP regulations and they will need to balance the books in the wake of a huge signing.
Andre Schurrle is a hero in his native Germany thanks to his super-sub contributions in last summer’s World Cup in Brazil. He scored two goals in the 7-1 demolition of Brazil and provided the assist to Mario Goetze in the final to win it all against Argentina. Bringing him to a club like Wolfsburg will do nothing but help their profile and popularity around the country and in Europe. Schurrle may not have been the brightest star to shine at Chelsea but he will treated as a returning hero when he plays for Wolfsburg.
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However, the signing will be highly scrutinized by UEFA as they continue to investigate whether or not Wolfsburg ran afoul of their regulations. Clubs in the Bundesliga not named Bayern Munich often have trouble competing financially with the big boys but the league is in excellent health. The financial health of Wolfsburg may not be quite as good but they appear to be confident that they will not be forced to change their transfer policies once the investigation is complete.