The Huuhkajat tip was the target of Bayer Leverkusen’s ball since 2013. The move to Venezia has a lot of potential, but at the same time it is partly a difficult choice to swallow, writes Samu Saatsi.
10:56am•Updated 10:56am
You can watch how Joel Pohjanpalo’s years at Bayer Leverkusen progressed from the map visualization that is the main video of the story. The story continues after the video.
Joel Pohjanpalon and the long association of Bayer Leverkusen, who play in the 1.Bundesliga of German football, ended last Friday.
The Finnish national team star, who played in the club since 2013 and was one of Leverkusen’s own contract players since the spring winter of 2016, continued his journey from Germany to Italy.
Venezia FC, which plays in Saapasmaa’s second tier Serie B, acquired Pohjanpalo in their ranks with a three-year contract, which also includes an option for two additional years. German newspaper Bildin (you switch to another service) according to the canal city’s pride, the Finn will pay a transfer amount of around 2.5 million euros, which may also rise to 3.2 million euros if “certain conditions” are met.
Pohjanpalo’s nine-year relationship with Leverkusen ended with a mutual farewell. Pohjanpalo thanked Leverkusen and especially the club’s supporters profusely In his Instagram post (you will switch to another service). Supporters responded in kind.
Pohjanpalo, christened “Danger” in Leverkusen, got his first big chance in his career thanks to the pharmaceutical company club. Still, a few aspects of his time in the club remain in the teeth.
Haunted by injuries
Pohjanpalo first moved to the Leverkusen club on loan from the Helsinki Football Club at the age of 18. The talented goalscorer had charmed in the Veikkausliiga with, among other things, a historic hat-trick that came in three minutes.
Leverkusen loaned Pohjanpalo to VfR Aalen of the 2nd Bundesliga. This gave Ensiaskaleet to the loan drum, which the Finnish striker had to dance pretty much all his time in Germany.
The first addresses were Aalen and Fortuna Düsseldorf. Pohjanpalo built his career in Germany during three 2nd Bundesliga seasons, scoring 18 goals in 77 matches during those seasons.
He finally got his 1. Bundesliga debut in Leverkusen on August 27, 2016. The first two matches were almost heavenly football, when first Pohjanpalo scored on his debut and in his second game he scored a hat-trick after coming on against Hamburger SV.
After that, the injuries that plagued the Huuhkajat star for almost his entire career began. Pohjanpalo missed almost 70 series matches in Leverkusen due to various injuries and recovery from them. With injuries, the first opportunity to break into the starting line-up of a regular club in Europe’s top league slipped away.
After leaving Leverkusen, however, Pohjanpalo thanked Leverkusen for everything the club did for his rehabilitation.
No space in the starting line-up
Pohjanpalo broke records as a contract player of “Die Werkself” when he later showed his skills in, for example, HSV, Union Berlin and last season in the Turkish premier league, Rizespor. Still, the chances of breaking into Leverkusen’s starting line-up remained sporadic and very small.
Although injuries ate the lion’s share of Pohjanpalo’s rise to Leverkusen’s starting lineup, the club’s player policy also played a role.
The Finn constantly remained an extra attacker regardless of the coach. It was a record for “Jolle” to see eight different head coaches in the club, and didn’t really get to be at the center of anyone’s plans.
The main obstacle to this was injuries, but also Pohjanpalo’s changed playing abilities. An effective top has not been the first choice of the coaches, if they have, for example, demanded from their team high pressing play that suffocates the opponent and extreme speed.
In particular, he was always wedged by either a more efficient or a more up-and-coming player. Most recently, one of the most dangerous strikers in Europe, the Czech Patrik Schick. Pohjanpalo was often offered the role of “third striker”, which would have meant few minutes of substitution.
The top player of the Finnish national team left season by season to get playing minutes and goals elsewhere. That is why Finns have long awaited Pohjanpalo’s permanent move away from the banks of the Rhine.
Time for “La Dolce Vita”?
Now Pohjanpalo has been invested and his biggest opportunity to play in the world’s top 4 football leagues can be found on the northeastern coast of Italy. For Finns, the most difficult part of the transfer is certainly the fact that neither of the number one players of the Finnish men’s national team, Teemu Pukki or Pohjanpalo, will play major league football next season.
However, Venezia is one of the biggest upstart candidates in Serie B. The club, which was relegated from the main league at the end of last season, has invested heavily in returning to Serie A. Pohjanpalo is clearly a big piece of this comeback plan, at least when you look at the size of his contract and the transfer amount. The latter is large on the scale of Venezia.
If the club’s planned return to Serie A is realized, the Finn can afford to take a one-time fine of 500 euros from swimming in the channel, if he ventures into dirty water. According to Bild, Pohjanpalo’s net salary in Venezia is one million euros per year.
In addition to the goals of the club, there are more Finnish clubs available in Venice. In Venezia’s regular lineup, both goalkeepers are Finnish. Transferred from Brescia Jesse Joronen plays his opening season on the island as the number one goalkeeper.
Niki Mäenpää carries the winged lion of Venice on his chest for the second time in a row. Joronen is also a very good friend of Pohjanpalo and the three have played together for several years in Huuhkaj.
The transfer to Italy serves Pohjanpalo first off the field. The seasonal end of the search for a loan club and a clear position in the new team are guaranteed to free him. For Pohjanpalo, who enjoys things outside of football, a possible Italian La Dolce Vita would also be a nice addition.
The start was liberating when the Venetians beat Südtirol 2–1. In his first game, Pohjanpalo did not continue the streak of traditional debut goals, but gave the pass that led to the goal for Venezia’s equalizing goal.
Pohjanpalo and Huuhkajat will play their next national matches in the Nations League in September. Finland will face Romania at the Olympic Stadium on September 23 and Montenegro at the away ground on September 26. shows the matches live on its channels.