Can learn from Haller
©IMAGO
This article first appeared on January 30th at 11:30 a.m. and was revised after the official announcement from Utrecht.
After it was recently said that talented striker Artem Stepanov was considering ending his loan to 1. FC Nürnberg early, the club has now confirmed this step. The loan agreement between the Franconians and Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been terminated. The 18-year-old Ukrainian will not be returning to the Werkself for the time being, as FC Utrecht is loaning Stepanov until the end of the season.
“Artem was given the opportunity to take his first steps in men’s football with us. However, with the recent reduction in playing time and the view of the remaining games in the second half of the season, we have intensively analyzed and re-evaluated the situation,” said Nuremberg’s sports director Joti Chatzialexiou. “Artem has his qualities, but we are also sure that he will be more likely to assert himself at another club at the moment. We wish him all the best for his future.”
Stepanov played 14 competitive games for coach Miroslav Klose’s team in the first half of the season and was in the starting line-up seven times. He only scored a goal in the DFB Cup in the first round against regional league team FV Illertissen (8:9 nE). He also scored once for Nuremberg’s 2nd team in the Bavarian Regional League. Most recently, Klose used Piet Scobel (20) in the center of the attack, who scored twice against Elversberg and earned himself more games.
The U21 international’s contract in Leverkusen runs until 2027. In Utrecht he will meet, among others, former Schalke player Can Bozdogan (24) and former Bayern talent Emirhan Demircan (21). In the attack he could learn from Sébastien Haller (31), who recently had to take a break with a bruised rib.
