'Quicker than Alphonso Davies' - Brentford move for the third fastest player in Germany

Ronan Murphy

• Updated: 3 Jan 2023 12:17 GMT
• 3 min read

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Brentford have made a fresh offer for Freiburg winger Kevin Schade after being rejected twice in the summer, FootballTransfers understands.

The Bees had two bids turned down during the last transfer window, with the Bundesliga side rejecting offers of up to €20 million in August.

Schade has four years left on his Freiburg contract and sporting director Klemens Hartenbach was eager to keep one of the club's best young talents: “Regardless of the contractual situation, we continue to see a harmonious balance between what Kevin can give us and what we can give him.”

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However, the 21-year-old was eager to move to the Premier League and could see his wish come true this month as Brentford have come back in for him.

Brentford are expected to secure a deal for Schade in January, with the most likely agreement being a loan with purchase option for between €25m and €30m.

What can Brentford expect from Schade?

Kevin Schade is a versatile forward, having played across the front line for Freiburg in the Bundesliga and Europa League.

His pace has proven a huge problem for Bundesliga defenders and he was clocked as the joint-third fastest player in the German top-flight last year. He was clocked at the same speed of 36.3 km/h as Erling Haaland and was even faster than Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies. Only Jeremiah St Juste and Sheraldo Becker were faster.

Schade has one goal and two assists for Freiburg this season, but has only played 12 times in 2022-23 due to an abdominal injury at the start of the campaign.

He has excellent experience at underage level for Germany, with four goals in five appearances for Germany's Under-21 international side.

In 2021, he signed a new contract with Freiburg despite being linked with Liverpool, saying "I’m young. I want to gain experience and face competition – SC is the right club for that. I feel comfortable here and in good hands."