After months of speculation surrounding the defensive midfielder's future, Christoph Kramer announced on Monday that he would be returning to Bayer Leverkusen and extending his deal there until 2019.
A string of fantastic performances in the Bundesliga last season earned him fame around Europe, which sparked interest from Real Madrid and Arsenal, though Kramer has decided to stay put. Following a loan at VfL Bochum, he moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach on a two-year loan. At the Foals, he's become a top-class defensive midfielder and they would have hoped to keep him past this coming summer.
Though, it turned out to be an early Chistmas present for Werkself fans on Monday, as Kramer pledged his future to the club. Speaking to bayer04.de, he explained his decision, “After discussions with the management at Leverkusen, it didn’t take me long to decide to extend my contract. The complete package of the team, the coaches and the club as a whole were all just right for me. I’ve been at Bayer 04 since I was in the youth sides and I always dreamed of making it into the first team squad."
He continued, thanked his current club and promised his 100% effort for the remainder of the season, "I’ve done it via Bochum and Borussia Mönchengladbach and it’s a great feeling for me. I got my chance with Germany during my time at Mönchengladbach and I’m really grateful for the wonderful time I’ve had there. Everybody at Mönchengladbach can count on me doing my very best for the rest of the season to make sure the club qualifies for Europe again next year."
Michael Schade, Leverkusen's CEO, added his thoughts on two prosperous loans, “Christoph Kramer’s return to his parent club Bayer 04 Leverkusen fits in completely with our plan to enable young and talented players to develop at a high level at other clubs. Christoph has made great progress at Mönchengladbach and VfL Bochum before that. He will return to us at Leverkusen as an international player and a World Cup winner – it couldn’t have gone better for the player or the club.”
Rudi Völler knows the importance of Kramer's return, especially with Simon Rolfes retiring, “In Christoph Kramer, we have – against the background of the impending retirement of our captain Simon Rolfes – extended the squad in a strategically very important position in midfield with a top-quality option. We want to play on the European stage. We’re sure we can meet our expectations with players like Christoph Kramer in the side.”
Quotes via bayer04.de