Official | Union Berlin sign Paderborn striker Ilyas Ansah | OneFootball

Union Berlin have officially confirmed the second half of their rumored double striker signing. Germany U20 international Ilyas Ansah will be moving to the Bundesliga from German second division outfit SC Paderborn 07. Ansah scored six goals and contributed seven assists for his 2. Bundesliga side last season.

Union confirmed the first half of their double signing on Tuesday with the confirmed permanent purchase of Serbian striker Andrej Ilic. Die Eisernen find themselves under pressure to shore up the attacking corps following the departure of leading goal scorer Benedict Hollerbach over the weekend.

Interestingly enough, it appears as if Horst Heldt and the FCU front office team may have sewn up their search for strikers this summer. A report appearing in the Thursday print edition of Kicker indicted that the Köpenicker wished to retain the services of January transfer flop Marin Ljubicic.

Signed for a reported €4.5m near the transfer deadline, Ljubicic managed just one start and only 281 minutes of total playing time under head coach Steffen Baumgart. The 23-year-old did register both a goal and assist in his debut appearance off the bench.

Despite the fact that Ljubicic never got his name on the scoresheet after that, Baumgart often had words of praise for the Croatian U23 international. Though he obviously struggled to adapt to the pace of the Bundesliga, Baumgart often praised the former LASK Linz man’s training performances.

In any event, Union appear comfortable with sizable transfer outlays over the last six months. Ansah (€4m), joins Ljubicic (€4.5m), Ilic (€5m), and Woo-Yeong Jeong (€4m) as part of a significant investment class.

Union did net a reported €10m from Hollerbach’s sale and recouped a reported €7.5m from the sale of former German national team fullback Robin Gosens to ACF Fiorentina. Ansah’s purchase does nevertheless tip the transfer balance from the last six months into negative territory.

“In Ilyas, we are getting a young but already very developed offensive player who performed consistently well last season,” Heldt noted in a club statement. “He brings pace, physicality, and goal-scoring ability. We are convinced that he can take the next step with us and are delighted to welcome him to Union.”

“Union is a special club that stands for passion, solidarity, and honest football,” the player himself added. “When I was contacted, I didn’t have to think twice. For me, the move to Berlin is a huge opportunity to develop further at a high level, gain new experiences, and contribute to the team’s success.”

GGFN | Peter Weis