Kicker Report: Signs point to Ekkelenkamp exit from Hertha
Germany's preeminent footballing publication cites its own sources to claim that Hertha BSC attacking midfielder Jurgen Ekkelenkamp is headed for the exits.
The potential signing of former Mainz midfielder/winger Jean-Paul Boëtius should leave Hertha bringing in one Dutchman and offloading another.
Not even in the matchday squad for Hertha's opening round DFB Pokal defeat against Eintracht Braunschweig, signs point to a separation between "die alte Dame" and the 22-year-old Dutch attacking midfielder they acquired just last summer. Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, a €3 million signing from last August, struggled to assert himself under the three coaching regimes that ran Hertha in the previous campaign.
The potential signing of former Mainz midfielder/winger Jean-Paul Boëtius should leave Hertha bringing in one Dutchman and offloading another.
Ekkelenkamp made four starts under initial trainer Pal Dardai before falling into disuse once Tayfun Korkut took over. By the time caretaker gaffer Felix Magath took over, the starting XI was no longer a topic for the Dutch youth international. Magath started him in the season's final game again against Dortmund, yanking him at the half.
Overall, Ekkelenkamp made 22 appearances (nine starts) across all competitions for Germany's Charlottenburg capital city side. German footballing magazine Kicker reports that, with current head-coach Sandro Schwarz keen on bringing in his former Mainz player Jean-Paul Boëtius at Ekkelenkamp's position, a separation in the form of an outright sale should be finalized soon.
Ekkelenkamp maintains an estimated €3.5 market value in the latest transfermarkt listings. Kicker writes that two Belgian clubs (Brugges KV and Royal Antwerp) are interested in the youngster's services. The player was linked with a potential move to Feyenoord earlier in the summer. Boetius himself has been keeping fit at Feyenoord this summer whilst looking for a new club.