Who is Stefanos Tzimas? The striker compared to Sesko and wanted by Brighton, Spurs and Villa

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10 goals in 17 games 

©IMAGO

The Premier League may be in the middle of a fascinating title race and exciting January transfer window, but it seems as though a number of the English top-flight’s biggest clubs are already casting their eyes down the road to the stars of tomorrow. According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, no less than three English clubs are chasing Nuremberg’s Greek striker Stefanos Tzimas. According to the report in Germany, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brighton are all in the race to sign the 19-year-old talent. Liverpool had previously been linked with a move for the player too.  

According to Plettenberg, the German second-tier club are demanding an up-front fee of €25 million, plus bonus payments in the summer. The move would be somewhat complicated by the fact that Tzimas is only on loan at Nuremberg. However, the German side and his current club, PAOK, have agree an €18m buy option for the young striker. So, should either of the reported clubs take a serious interest in the talent, Nuremberg would activate the release clause, sign the player permanently and then duly sell him on to the highest bidder. But who exactly is Tzimas and why are both Nuremberg and a number of Premier League clubs so determined to sign the young talent as quickly as possible? 

Who is Stefanos Tzimas?

After making his debut for PAOK at an extremely young age, Tzimas took to senior football in Greece with relative ease and bagged an impressive four goals and one assist in just 438 minutes of football for the first team. The 2.Bundesliga side then picked him up last summer on the aforementioned loan deal, which initially raised some eyebrows considering the relatively large transfer fee that Nuremberg were expected to pay at the end of the season. But after picking up 10 goals and two assists in 17 appearances for the club so far this season, it’s clear to see why the German side had no concerns with paying €18m for his talents and why Liverpool are now desperate to sign him. “Tzimas has done exceptionally well in the 2.Bundesliga,” said Tobias Kröger, Transfermarkt’s market value admin for the Bundesliga. “He surprised a lot of fans as nobody really knew what to expect but he has been really outstanding for a struggling Nuremberg Team. There were early reports about interested teams earlier in the season and you can see why, because he adapted really fast to the league and showed his potential continuously.” 

So far this season Tzimas has played up front as a traditional No.9, but he has been known to play off the left wing at youth level at PAOK or for the youth teams of the Greece national team. And for Kröger there is one Bundesliga star in particular that the young Liverpool transfer target reminds him of. “He reminds me a lot of Benjamin Sesko,” noted the German football expert. “He has a really interesting all around package for a striker: He’s good in the air but also quick for his height. He is good at making runs into open spaces but is also clinical in one-vs-one situations with the keeper. His link-up play is also very good. His technique is also very good but not elite.”

How good is Stefanos Tzimas? 

Of course, scoring goals in Greece or indeed the German second tier is one thing, but making a move to the Premier League and fighting for a starting role in Villa, Brighton or Tottenham’s starting XI is another thing entirely. So what could English fans expect of the young striker next season and does he really have the potential to be the leading man for the Premier League club in the future? “I think he has a lot of potential and could be a top striker in the future but I also think that he really needs more experience at a higher level,” warned Kröger when asked about a move to England next season. “A big step up to a top club would be too early I guess. If he can adapt his game to a higher level in the next two or three years he could develop into a very good striker.” As such, it seems more than likely that should Tzimas make the move to England this summer, a loan agreement to send him to another club next season will be more than likely. But then, perhaps after two or three years honing his craft in the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 or LaLiga, Tzimas may finally be of age to star for a Premier League club and become their next top striker.