My all-time GermanPremier ship squad
LEWIS Holtby's move from Schalke 04 to Tottenham last month is one of very few transfers whereby a German has joined a Premiership club. Here are some of the others:
Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann played for AC Milan before joining Arsenal in 2003. He spent five seasons with the Gunners before moving to VfB Stuttgart.
Right-Back Markus Babbel played for Liverpool (2000-04) and also had spells with Blackburn, Bayern Munich, VfB Stuttgart, Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim.
Defender Per Mertesacker joined Arsenal in 2011 after assisting Hannover and Werder Bremen. A key figure in Arsene Wenger's defence, he won 86 caps for Germany.
Sweeper Thomas Helmer enjoyed a superb career in Germany before assisting Sunderland (1999-2000). His other clubs included Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich for whom he made over 400 Bundesliga appearances and won three championship medals.
Centre-half Robert Huth joined Chelsea from Union Berlin in 2001. He made over 200 appearances for the London club, being one of the best defenders in the Premier League at the time.
Left-back or left-winger Christian Ziege spent most of his career with Bayern Munich and AC Milan before signing for Middlesbrough in 1999, and later played for Liverpool and Tottenham, 2001-04. He won league titles in Germany and Italy and helped Germany win Euro ‘96. He later became head coach of his country’s U19 and U18 teams.
Midfielder Dietmar Hamann left Bayern Munich for Newcastle in 1998. He later enjoyed spells with Liverpool and Manchester City before retiring in 2009, although he did return as player-manager of the MK Dons in 2010. He won 59 caps and won the UEFA Cup with both Liverpool and Bayern.
Midfielder Michael Ballack, one of the best Germans to play in the Premier League, served with Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Chelsea (2006-10). He helped the Blues win three FA Cup finals, the Community Shield, the League Cup and the Premier League, and gained 98 caps for Germany.
Striker Jürgen Klinsmann starred for AC Milan and Sampdoria in Italy, for Monaco in France, for Tottenham (two spells) and in Germany with Bayern Munich. Highly successful, he won the 1990 World Cup and Euro ‘96 and scored 47 goals in 108 full internationals.
After retiring he managed Bayern, Hertha Berlin and the USA national team.
Forward Lukas Podolski played for FC Köln, Bayern Munich and Arsenal (2012-15). He scored 49 goals in 130 internationals for Germany and at his peak was rated one of his country’s top five footballers.
Other top Germans who have graced the Premiership over the years include Bastian Schweinsteiger (ex-Bayern Munich and Manchester United: 121 caps won); Karl-Heinz Riedle (Fulham, Liverpool, Lazio and Borussia Dortmund); Leroy Sané (Schalke O4, Bayern Munich and Manchester City); Jerome Boateng (Hamburg and Manchester City), Serge Gnabry (Arsenal, WBA and Werder Bremen); Mesut Ožil (Real Madrid, Fenerbahce and Arsenal), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart, Hertha Berlin, West Ham, Everton and Aston Villa) and current players Ikay Gündogan (ex-Borussia Dortmund and Nuremburg, now Manchester City), Antonio Rüdiger (exStuttgart, Roma and Chelsea, now Real Madrid), Robin Koch (Kaiserslautern, now Leeds), Timo Werner (ex-Chelsea and Stuttgart, now RB Leipzig) and Kai Havertz (Chelsea, formerly of Bayer Leverkusen).
There are, of course, several more, and to ‘manage’ the squad I would go for Jurgen Klopp, with Joachim Low and Franz Beckenbauer his main coaches assistant.