Mainz had a painful season. In the red zone from the 1st to the 32nd day of the Bundesliga (if we except a 13th place in J2 and a 15th place in J30), the Karnevalsverein almost returned to the second division for the first time since 2009. In difficulty , a nugget has sprouted and his name is Brajan Gruda. Born in Speyer, this dual German-Albanian national is one of the biggest gems at the Mainz training center. Son of Bujar Gruda a former player, he also has two uncles (Azis and Armando) and three cousins (William, Ildi and Mirsad) who have or are pursuing careers in football. An environment conducive to development for the great talent of the family. A right winger, capable of playing as an attacking midfielder and center forward, the left-hander quickly chose Germany with whom he took part in the different age groups from U15 to U21 (19 caps, 7 goals). Moreover, he was rewarded with the silver medal at the Fritz Walter Trophy (which rewards the best U17 and U19 in the country) behind Youssoufa Moukoko and ahead of Umut Tohumcu.
“I see a very good development. Many people don’t notice everything and only see the minutes he spends on the field. I see him every day of my life and I also have experience with players his age. Many factors come into play. We have to build it carefully. This must continue. There are some simple differences between a 19 year old and a 26 year old., noted his former coach Bo Svensson at the start of the season. From a joker role, he was able to finish the season strong and scored 4 goals and 3 offerings in 30 matches as well as dribbling and big differences. “He showed everything we needed at the club. We must be courageous and stand together. It’s a big thing when a 19-year-old leaves such a mark.” noted his coach Bo Henriksen with enthusiasm at the end of the season.
Already €50M and many suitors
Services which do not leave the suitors indifferent in this matter. Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are particularly interested, as are five German teams with Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Particularly desired this summer, he was valued at 20 million euros but Mainz has already set the price and it is rather steep. While the Bayer Leverkusen – Bayern Munich tandem seems to be emerging, Bild announces that Mainz is expecting 50 million euros for the latest German football prodigy.
A rather assumed status since he has a fairly privileged status this summer. If he has not yet convinced Julian Nagelsmann and is not among the pre-list of 27 players checked by the coach, he is called up to the U21 team. Moreover, Julian Nagelsmann asked that he train with Group A with Rocco Reitz of Borussia Mönchengladbach during the start of preparation for the Euro. A nice mark of confidence since the former coach of Leipzig and Bayern Munich seems to want to quickly trust him and hopes that he will move to the next level: “He is extremely creative in the final third, he is an excellent footballer. It’s important that he has pace as a young player, so I’m looking forward to seeing if he’s ready to take the step.”
