Most football fans probably only heard the name Deniz Undav for the first time about two or three years ago, when he signed for Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League. You would be forgiven then for thinking that he would be about 22 years old now, given the club’s track record of signing young exciting talents. However Germany’s newest attacking talent is actually already 28.

Early Career

In his youth, Undav spent some time at the Werder Bremen academy, before moving to SC Weyhe and eventually TSV Havelse, where he made his senior debut. He moved around a lot in Lower Saxony, in the Northwest of Germany where he racked up 154 games and 74 goals for three different clubs.

This goal scoring record earned him a move to Union Saint-Gilloise in 2020. The Belgian team signed him on a free transfer, as his deal at his previous club had run out. In his first year with the club, he helped the team in winning the Belgian second division and 17 goals in 26 games.

The next year, he continued this form, scoring 18 goals in the top flight, winning the golden boot and the Belgian Player of the Year award. In January of his second season in Belgium, he signed with Brighton, but was loaned back to Union SG for the remainder of the season.

Brighton and Hove Albion

Undav only had one year at Brighton, the 2022/23 season. In his debut, he played the last few minutes of a 2-1 win at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season, which was Brighton’s first ever win at Manchester United. His Premier League game time was limited, with both Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi preferring to utilise him in cup games.

Don't let that Undav goal go under the radar by the way 😮‍💨pic.twitter.com/PkCf8NDnqj

— •WL• (@skillwilll) July 23, 2023

He scored in both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup in the 2022/23 season, while also providing back-up to Danny Welbeck on Premier League match days. He scored his first Premier League goal on 29th April in a game against Wolves, in which Brighton won 6-0. In total, he scored five Premier League goals.

Stuttgart and Germany

In August 2023, he signed on loan with Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. It was very quickly obvious that Undav wasn’t made for English football, as he lit up the Bundesliga and helped Stuttgart to second in the league, above both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

In his first season with Stuttgart, he scored 18 goals and registered nine assists. His performances not only earned him a permanent move to the German side, but also drew the attention of Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who called him up for two friendly games in March 2024. He made his debut in one of the matches, coming on in the 80th minute.

Deniz Undav has scored his FIRST-EVER goal for Germany 💪🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/Sr8Ijipc4Y

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) September 10, 2024

On the 10th September 2024, Undav scored his first goal for the national team on what was his first start too. The goal levelled the game against the Netherlands at 1-1, before both teams went on to score another, making the result 2-2.

Future?

It is clear that Undav has talent, however his time in the Premier League didn’t blow anyone away. This season will be his first in the Champions League and he will be hoping to help Stuttgart into the latter stages of the tournament.

With Germany, there is only really Kai Havertz and Nicolas Fullkrug ahead of him in the striker position, so if he continues his good form at club level, he could easily become the nation’s second choice in that position.

I personally think that Stuttgart is his level, but at 28, there is still some time ahead of him and so I wouldn’t be surprised if he continues to perform the way he has.