Captain wishes Birmingham City had not signed his club’s star man, Blues move ‘a shame’

Add as preferred source on Google

You can usually gauge a pretty solid impression of a new signing – like the one expected to make waves in the Championship with Birmingham City – by how his old teammates reacted to his departure.

It feels unlikely that Kyogo Furuhashi will be missed particularly keenly at Rennes, given that the former Celtic hero barely kicked a ball in anger across the Channel.

Prodigal son Demarai Gray returned to Birmingham after failing to find the net across 25 games in Saudi Arabia last season.

Marvin Ducksch, in contrast, leaves the Weser Stadium as a modern-day Werder Bremen icon. One of the most underrated, effective attackers in Europe’s top-five leagues over the last few seasons.

Birmingham City raised eyebrows both in England and Germany when signing the former Borussia Dortmund prospect for a reported £1.7 million.

Bundesliga expert Kevin Hatchard called Ducksch a ‘great pick up’ for such a fee. ‘Experienced’, ‘technically-gifted’ and a ‘quality’ set-piece taker to boot.

Bild suggested Werder Bremen had been ‘ripped off’, albeit if a now 31-year-old Ducksch did have only 12 months left on his contract. Even club captain Marco Friedl accepts that finding a forward capable of replacing the output of a man who provided 16 goal contributions last term will be easier said than done.

Werder Bremen captain bemoans Marvin Ducksch’s Birmingham City switch

The late-blooming Ducksch, formerly of Hannover and Fortuna Dusseldorf, scored or created more goals in 2024/25 than Dortmund playmaker Julian Brandt, Bayern Munich superstar Jamal Musiala, and Stuttgart’s £50 million-rated sensation Nick Woltemade.

Furthermore, since the start of the 2022/23 season, Marvin Ducksch tops the Bundesliga charts when it comes to the most shots created or taken.

No wonder Friedl is mourning his departure.

“I missed ‘Duckschi’ from the very first moment [he departed],” Friedl tells Deich Stube. “Even if it wasn’t often seen that way from the outside, he helped us enormously over the years and had an impressive scoring record.

“He was the top scorer every year when it came to goals and assists. We’ve experienced a lot over the years and had some great times. That’s why it’s a shame he’s gone.

“I wish him only the best and am sure he will show what he can do there [at Birmingham City]. But it’s a loss for us.”

Chris Davies gives Ducksch update ahead of Blackburn Rovers clash

Birmingham have made an impressive start to the new campaign under ex-Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur assistant Chris Davies.

The Blues deserved to beat Ipswich Town on the opening day, undone by a controversial George Hirst penalty in the 95th minute. Jay Stansfield then fired Birmingham into the second round of the Carabao Cup at Sheffield United’s expense, rendering Gustavo Hamer’s glorious lob from the halfway line meaningless.

Saturday’s trip to Blackburn Rovers, meanwhile, offers Birmingham the chance to pick up their first three-point haul back in the second tier.

Davies would not confirm if Ducksch will form part of the matchday squad for the first time at Ewood Park, though, with the versatile forward working on his fitness.

“Marvin is still building up,” Davies said during his Friday press conference. “He got an injury earlier in pre-season and he’s now very close now to integrating back into team training, but there is a period of adaptation [needed] there.”