VfB Stuttgart have signed Robbie Kruse from Bayer Leverkusen on loan until the end of the season.
In the loan deal there is an option to buy the Australian, whether Die Roten choose to trigger the clause is their call. If they do, the 26-year old will cost them €1.5 million.
The move away from the BayArena is good for Kruse as the attacker’s first team chances looked slim with the strength that Roger Schmidt boasts in his position. Also because of the Achilles injury he sustained last season, there would always be a problem in case it were to happen again.
However, Robin Dutt is pleased that he signed the former Fortuna Düsseldorf man because the strengths Kruse brings such as speed and agility are the “ideal conditions to the style of play we bring”, he insisted.
With the departure of Heung-Min Son, it looked that Kruse could return but instantly Rudi Völler and Roger Schmidt put their heads together and reeled in two new signings in the form of Kevin Kampl and Javier Hernandez.
Kruse details the reasoning behind the move
As a result, Kruse looks for first team football and puts Champions League football behind him at Bayer, instead opting to help Stuttgart survive and beyond. The Aussie believes he can do just that: “I want to my part, I believe I can play a better role in the coming weeks and months,” he said, speaking during an interview with the official Stuttgart website.
He’s never been quite the prolific attacker; he came on to play his first minutes of competitive football in Leverkusen's 1-0 first leg loss to Lazio a fortnight ago.
Kruse only managed 21 appearances for the ‘Werkself’ since his arrival in 2013/14. Before that he scored four goals in 30 Bundesliga appearances for Fortuna. He links back up with injured goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak, the pair reunite after playing for Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory. Kruse believes he is ready and is looking forward to the “new challenge at VfB”.