Scout Report – Alexandru Maxim
The German Bundesliga has always had its rich history and bunch of talents available. Although the glamour that the German league provides is not the same as the English one, the league still remains a quality one.
You’d be knowing this had you followed the German leagues last season, that FC Ingolstadt 04 and SV Darmstadt 98 got relegated to Bundesliga2 after a dismal showing all season. As it usually is, two teams got promoted to the German top-flight. Vfb Stuttgart and Hannover 96 made the move up the ladder and entered the Bundesliga.
The Leeds fans must be knowing what it is like to be spending time in the Championship and how important it is to gain promotion to top-flight. That is exactly what Stuttgart did last season. After being in the Europa League as late as 2012/13, a poor 2015/16 season saw them go down to the 2. Bundesliga. They are 5-time German champions and they last won the league back in 2007. 10 years down the line, they are making their way back to Bundesliga.
A certain Alexandru Maxim played an important part in their promotion bid and it is him who we are going to have a look at. Maxim is a reported Leeds United target and if the reports are to be believed, he is very close to joining the historic English club.
Who Is Alexandru Maxim?
Maxim is Romanian and was born on July 8, 1990. He spent his youth days at Olimpia Piatra Neamț and Ardealul Cluj and later joined Spanish club, Espanyol. He was 7 years old when he started his career by joining Olimpia Piatra Neamț and in 2004 he joined Ardealul Cluj. He made his debut as a professional for their reserve team. He then returned to Romania and joined Pandurii Târgu Jiu, before moving abroad again in 2013, this time to VfB Stuttgart.
He joined the German outfit Stuttgart in the winter transfer window of 2013 and made his debut a month later, in Stuttgart’s Europa League round of 32 fixture against Genk. He made his Bundesliga debut against Nurnberg a few days later, and scored his first goal for the club, against defending champions Borussia Dortmund, to equalise in an eventual 2–1 loss. He made a total of 16 appearances that season for Stuttgart.
Since his debut for Stuttgart, Maxim has managed a total of 128 appearances for the club, spanning across 3 and a half seasons. He has scored a total of 17 goals for the club. Let us not go by the number of goals here. He has provided a total of 35 assists along with it. He is more of a creator. Maxim has also been a full international for Romania since 2012, and has earned over 20 caps for his national team, and has scored 2 goals.
Style Of Play
Maxim is a technically strong player. He isn’t someone who is huge in appearance and is relatively tall, standing at 5ft 10in. This certainly plays against him as he is not known for his aerial prowess. That is probably the only negative point in his game play.
The Romanian is an excellent set-piece taker and is quite dangerous from dead ball situations. Blink your eye for a moment and he is capable of doing something special, be it by scoring a goal, or by providing an inch-perfect cross. This technical strength of his plays a huge part in his game and he is someone who is really aware of what is happening on the pitch.
Maxim largely relies on technicality, and why not? He is a playmaker after all! He is a strong dribbler and a good passer of the ball. He is capable of putting in some excellent crosses and is a joy to play alongside if you are a striker. Although he is not someone who is known for his defensive contribution, he more than makes up for it with his contribution to the team’s attacking play.
He is right-footed and is versatile. Maxim is primarily an attacking midfielder but is equally capable of playing on both the wings. He has been tried and tested across various positions in the attacking midfield region and he contributes his best when played behind the striker. The next best position of his would be the right-wing, but he was played on the left-wing on 13 occasions last season and did not disappoint, as he scored 2 goals and assisted 4.
He contributed a total of 5 goals and 7 assists in 27 appearances across all competitions as Stuttgart made it back to the Bundesliga.
What Does The Future Hold? Will He Fit In At Leeds United?
Alexandru has heavily been linked with Leeds United and honestly, I think he would be a good piece of business by Leeds after a disappointing finish to the season. They looked like being promoted for large parts of the season and were unfortunate to miss out on a Premier League move. Maxim would be a great addition to the squad, considering that Wood is still a part of the Leeds United.
Pablo Hernandez is someone who causes divide among the Leeds fans. While some enjoy the flair that he displays, some of them feel that he struggles when the opponent strangles him by cutting down the space.
Maybe, Alexandru Maxim is the man who Leeds need in order to achieve the Premier League promotion that has been eluding them for a long time now.