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Report: Stuttgart looking to sell Julian Green

Julian Green’s career appears to have hit another roadblock, and it could prompt a transfer in the near future.

Green was left off of Stuttgart’s traveling squad for this past weekend’s 2-0 loss to Hertha Berlin, the club’s first match back in the Bundesliga. According to reports out of Germany, that decision was a sign that the club is ready to move on from Green just eight months after the young American signed with the club from Bayern Munich.

The 22-year-old midfielder joined the German club in January and scored one goal in 10 appearances. Prior to that, Green was a member of the Bayern Munich system and shined during the team’s 2016 preseason run following a rough loan spell at Hamburg. However, the forward was unable to crack the first team, prompting his January sale.

Now, Green could be on the move again just three years after scoring for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2014 World Cup.

Stuttgart returns to action on Saturday against Mainz.

Comments

  1. —- Villalba —- Martinez —-
    ———— Almiron ————
    ————————————
    -Asad —————— Green-
    ———– Carmona ———–

    I would fly home more for that

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    • Yikes. That lineup would bleed goals, and it does not look anything like what Tata has relied on this year. Carmona can’t hold the middle on his own and Green doesn’t have near the work rate he would need to hold that flank as the RB gets forward (Walkes I guess even though he sucks worse than Mears in the attack phase). They tried Carmona as a lone 6 with Gressel and Miggy further up early in the season and it was not pretty.

      If you added Green to ATL he would most likely play the backup to Villalba or Asad in a 4-2-1-3 look (if he didn’t outright replace Asad when the loan is up). Martinez at the point, two of Villalba/Asad/Green/Gressel on the flanks, Miggy at the 10, and Carmona/Big Red holding in front of the center backs so the fullbacks can bomb forward.

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  2. If the report is true and Stuttgart is looking to sell, why not go to Huddersfield Town, they need more attacking options, and David Wagner might have the magic in helping him find his place. Being a former German-American forward in the US setup, doesn’t hurt.

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    • I like this! I like him in the #FiveStripes more (Kenwynne Jones is a complete bust) but MLS allocation and other factors won’t let that happen.

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  3. He just was never very good. It was obvious in all his games for the USMNT. Scoring one goal, even if it’s a WC round of 16, doesn’t mean you’re start quality. He was an average player then, and he obviosly hasn’t gotten any better since.

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  4. GW has gone missing from these boards. He was the one who bet that he was going to be the best American forward by the end of 2015 or something. He was defiant in his prediction even though there was nothing to base it on.

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    • Similar to the masses of folks who thought Ryan Leaf would be the NFL’s greatest quarterback of all time back in the day. In this case, however, Julian Green isn’t throwing hissy fits and self medicating in public. Stuff happens,unfortunately. Best of luck to JG’s future.

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  5. Julian Green is a talented player anyone who has actually watch his games either with US, limited time with Bayern or his 10 or so appearances for the Stuttgart can see his quality.

    The primary issue is that he is a bit of a tweener. His body shape is that of a winger but he is not a true winger or wide midfielder if you watch him play. He is excellent at one touch finishing in front of goal. Watch his highlights and you can see most of his goals come from this. On the other hand crossing the ball into the area is not his forte as would be with a winger. He also drifts inside too much when he dribbles at defenders. Problem is who wants a kid of his size all alone up top. In a 4-2-3-1 he doesn’t see the pitch. Maybe he needs to find a team running a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 where he has a strike partner. He’s a striker but not as a lone striker so a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 suit him best imo.

    Dempsey was a tweener too for much of his time in England. Managers kept trying to use him on the wing or up front and often he didn’t quite fit in Fulham’s tactics so he came off the bench. We all know now Dempsey although capable on the wing, his excellence was in front of goal.

    This could just be bogus reporting. He was left off the squad most likely because he’s been recovering from a slight injury he got early in preseason which also meant he missed most of their preseason games so he didn’t get integrated as we all had hoped.

    One other thing. It seems some on this blog and others love to bash this kid for some reason. So JK brought him to the WC, he got all of 15 minutes to play and scored on his first touch. WTF ya’ll, he did what he as supposed to do. I mean, was he supposed to decline the call up because he was a LD fan too? JK happened, get over it and support our prospects instead of bashing them and calling them failures and stuff. Maybe watch the games on youtube or highlights instead of just parroting what you read on other blogs.

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    • Agree the contempt shown towards Green by some is really misguided.
      At this point in his career he needs 1st team action.Take a step down a level, get time on the field and prove to be a productive player. Bigger opportunities will still be available if he can do that.

      He has never really played professional games yet. He still has time to find pt and prove his quality, but another wrong move at club level and his potential is out the window. Its ok to be 22 and still not figured it out yet, but if at 24-25 he still hasn’t landed professionally he will be in trouble to reach his goals.
      His ‘tweener’ status definitely doesn’t help, but if he shows the quality/grit he will find his way on the field. Its really not an excuse for not playing at all.

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      • Agree with most, but when folks says.. “Its really not an excuse for not playing at all” when he made 10 appearances after transferring mid season for a Stuttgart team that was fighting to win the 2.Bundesliga and guaranteed promotion its just not accurate. Maybe you are referring to his time at Bayern where no he didn’t play for the first team but a handful of times but he was a regular for the u23 team there for years and of course we are talking about Bayern which brings Arturo Vidal off the bench. Their bench could trounce most other Bundesliga sides. Just not a good spot for young talent with the roster and ambitions they have.

      • Inability to force his way through for Bayern is nothing to be ashamed of. The failed Hamburg loan can also be excused to an extent. If this Stuggart move has been a failure it is becoming a pattern.
        10 apps for Stuggart. I’d bet those were for less than 500 total minutes. If I remember correctly the large majority of that PT was in jan-march before being on the bench for the end of the season.
        8 months later Stuggart already believes he is not good enough for their squad. If he had the quality now he would not be on the market.
        I really believe moving to a lower level where he’s playing every week is what he needs to refine his game and prove he can be productive whatever position he finds himself in. Like I said, I think there is still a very good player in there, but he has to find a home quickly to develop into that player.

      • Just to reinforce your comments, let’s not forget that at this age, 22, Bobby Wood was out of contract and wasn’t even getting any interest from Bundesliga 2. Then he scored in the 2 friendlies vs. Holland and Germany, JK probably pulled some strings to help him get a contract and now he is a fixture at his club and for country.Maybe Green should drop down a bit, aim for some place like Holland and do whatever it takes to get on the field and work hard and distinguish himself. While it was pre-season, before he left Bayern he was like one of their most prolific scorers in pre-season games. I agree with those who note his talent. I think he just needs the right situation. We see this all the time in sports where a player languishes at one club, gets a transfer and then, when given the chance, flourishes. Hopefully, this can happen with Green.

    • Yup. Completely agree. Not sure what anybody else has seen but the kid is pure class and IMHO would excel in the right system with the right minutes.

      I think MLS could well be his ticket but I could also see a highly technical league like La Liga if he can handle the cultural switch. He might also kill it in Mexico…basically, somewhere where his lack of size wouldn’t kill him at CF or in a system where he’s not required to track back as much as an outright winger because that’s not really his strength either.

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      • Agree. I like the La Liga idea and think it would suit him really well I think. Smaller strikers seem to do well there, David Villa or Griezmann for example. Maybe a team top team in Portugal or Eredivise may fit too, maybe Porto or PSV. But they’ve got to have interest.

  6. Lack of a position is hurting him. Is he a forward, a midfielder, or a winger? Also, his size limits where he can play based on formation and competitive level. I think all of these factors is why BayernM cut him lose.
    I totally agree he needs to step down a league where development is still emphasized.

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    • Older players truly lack a position. Young ones need to decide if they will learn, develop, and adapt to one. He wouldn’t be a “natural” but he could learn to be better holding the ball to become a forward, or put the speed to work two ways to be a wing. But he needs the right environment and coach, and then the right personal attitude. Some players “get it” after this kind of stuttering start, some never do and become Adu. We’ll see what happens.

      This is true of many players making the youth to senior jump. Some pretend he is useless but the whole reason it’s aggravating is you what he can do on a pretty big stage in an isolated game.

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  7. I hope his ego doesn’t get in the way. Tough to swallow going from Golden child to also ran. He is still young. Perhaps the Netherlands would be a good fit? I suspect his wage expectations would put him outside MLS.

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    • At the time he was arguably Bayern’s hottest prospect in their youth system. Klinsmann thought he was claiming a Pulisic type player for the US before Germany could swoop in.
      This continues to show how the jump from major prospect to real professional is bigger than people believe.
      If this story is true he really needs a reset to his career. Find a team that really values you and can give him the opportunity to play. Take a step down to a lower league to prove yourself. He has never even played any real professional soccer at this point. Netherlands, Belgium, Bundisliga 2 etc etc.

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      • Deference is Dortmund is known for growing young talent. Bayern just buys the players other clubs grow and don’t take there youth program seriously.

    • Hardly baffling… He promised Green a spot in exchange for his allegiance. It couldn’t be more obvious. But then he gave him what, 10 minutes in the final game and Green made a brilliant run and put a shot on frame that ended up in the net.

      What is baffling is that the guy can’t buy a competitive appearance since. He’s certainly a capable player. Did he achieve his goal and then become complacent? Does he have Adu disease where he just phones it in during training? Was there a backlash to his switching his allegiance? I refuse to believe Bayern Munich developed this kid from the age of 15, gave him a taste of CL, got him looks from the German youth national teams, carried him on their preseason tour, and then he suddenly forgot how to play to the point where he can’t get a look anywhere else.

      At this point, MLS is his ticket. We know Arena will overvalue his contributions there, and at the very least it will give him the chance to play. I don’t care what the deal is with him in Germany, he’s absolutely too good not to be playing somewhere and with MLS’ wage structure a player like him WILL play.

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      • The kid has skills. He just doesn’t have a killer instinct. He doesn’t have the hunger. I don’t think JK’s wooing of him did him any favors. At that stage, he needed to fight for recognition and a chance instead of being handed a Golden Ticket to the World Cup.

        Stuttgart was his chance, but he barely got a game in the second division and they don’t need him now in the Bundesliga.

      • I think his main issue is he is too small to play CF so playing the wing exposes his issues defending. I believe he also has a case of the Kobe Bryan mentality…his way is the only way to play.

    • Exaggerated. Like people can’t decide if this is the EPL or the bottom of the barrel depending how they want to make it look sometimes. Have you looked at some of the people we sign? This is a fairly fast wing and young player who has scored on Belgium in a World Cup, I’m sure some teams would kick the tires.

      If he has American aspirations it would actually be a creative choice. Get PT, work on his rough edges, maybe sneak back into a fray where there are a bunch of ok but problematic wing choices besides Pulisic.

      If he sees himself as more German or wants to emphasize his pro compensation, yeah, maybe he stays put, but after 4 years of nothingness he does need to worry about an Adu Trajectory.

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      • Also, when a guy scores in a World Cup elimination game, and was the subject of an intense competition for his services, the idea we should have left him out and run the risk is naïve/silly.

        The problem is really what followed, not what happened in those first months. Green, like Adu, has pursued the biggest stages and the biggest paychecks. He has not shined on them and his star is fading. The question now is does he make a more measured choice that allows him to develop and be showcased, or does he keep signing for name brands and cashing checks from the bench or the reserves.

    • Amazing that you could say this given that all he did at the World Cup was score a brilliant goal in the 15 minutes of playing time. And many a quality player has not been able to break into a Bundesliga side, especially when the are a slight, attacking player. I am sure that with the right coach and system, he could do very well in MLS. The only question at this point is whether he should settle for that, or keep trying to establish himself in a top 10 league in Europe. He’s still only 22.

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