Union Berlin keep defying the odds while growing organically on the transfer market

Union Berlin keep defying the Bundesliga odds and underlying stats while only spending what they earn. A deep dive into the club's transfer strategy.

Union Berlin’s rise from the second division to second place in the Bundesliga has been remarkable. Just one point behind Bayern Munich, the club from the capital has defied underlying stats such as xG [expected goals] all season. But where will it end, and what will it mean to the club’s squad planning?

This author would love to claim to have come up with an idea to take a closer look at how Union Berlin constructed their roster and what the future holds on his own. But, in truth, a question asked by subscriber Matthew Hoiland inspired this article. 

Matthew’s question was: “At what point does a team like Union get more ambitious in terms of spending or keeping players like [Rani] Khedira around as a foundation to build around.” It is a brilliant question that deserved more than just a quick answer to a thread underneath the podcast we posted earlier this week.  

A quick look at Union Berlin’s transfer history on Transfermarkt highlights that the club have already become more ambitious in their spending. Union spent €10.95m the season the club was promoted from the 2. Bundesliga, although that was spread across 13 new players. Eight players left that season. Overall, a pretty average turnover for a newly promoted side.