Julian Nagelsmann speaks on five Premier League stars he’s coached in extended interview, includes views on Anton Stach and Brajan Gruda | OneFootball

German national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann has offered up his thoughts on several Premier League players in a massive interview for the Monday print edition of Kicker. The 38-year-old spoke on a broad array of topics during a session that lasted over two hours in a Munich office. Among other things, Naglesmann had quite a bit to say about several Premier League professionals. 

Julian Nagelsmann on Florian Wirtz

“When the whole world is writing that hundreds of millions of euros have been spent on a ‘flop, you take the first step to combat the perception,” Nagelsmann said of the 22-year-old. “One is forced to draw energy from the perception. That’s what Flo did. And that’s why I believe This experience was more valuable for his development than if he had scored eight goals and provided ten assists right from the start.

“He joined a top team at the same time three other stars did,” Nagelsmann continued. “Everyone was fighting to claim their place. Flo got through it and I top my cap to him. What he accomplished there was not easy and this experience of his will help us on the national team.

Nagelsmann on Ryan Gravenberch

“The situation was very complicated for him after his transfer from Ajax Amsterdam,” Nagelsmann said of his former Bayern Munich player. “Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich were ahead of him, and I had also brought in Aleksandar Pavlovic. Ryan’s job was to step on the gas in the last 20 minutes, but his player profile doesn’t fit that. Ryan is a player who needs rhythm throughout the game. Now he’s a world class player [at Liverpool thanks to regular playing time.”

Nagelsmann on Nick Woltemade

“At Stuttgart, he wasn’t even in the Champions League squad during the first half of last season, then he played a good second half of the season with seven goals,” Nagelsmann said of Newcastle’s slumping record signing. “That’s not a criticism of Nick. He’s a young player who needs time to develop, as we can now see at Newcastle That’s why I don’t expect him to score 15 goals at Newcastle. I told him just last week to stay relaxed. We have faith in him.”

Nagelsmann on Anton Stach

“He’s doing well there [at Leeds], but he’s not particularly strong in the air and he’s not the best tackler either,” Nagelsmann said of the new Leeds United regular midfield starter. “He’s also someone who likes to have the game in front of him. I thought his best position at Hoffenheim was the central role in the back three, from where he dropped back to the six.“

Nagelsmann on Brajan Gruda

“I think he’s doing well at Leipzig right now,” Nagelsmann said of one of the Bundesliga’s most surprising January additions. “He was with me during training camp ahead of the 2024 Euros in Germany. He has a lot to offer, but I don’t think he really understood at the time that he had the chance to play in a home European Championship. Ultimately, it’s about him scoring more goals and providing more assists. He’s still not playing on par with his quality.“

GGFN | Peter Weis