Joshua Zirkzee left FC Bayern Munich for 8.5 million euros in the summer for Bologna. At the Serie A club, the knot does not really want to burst, now there is also a system change for the Dutchman. Meanwhile, Zirkzee has not lost sight of his training club.
Joshua Zirkzee has signed a contract with FC Bologna until 2026, but due to a buyback clause, the attacker’s path could lead to the German record champions again in the future.
“It’s the club where I grew up, it would be the realization of a dream,” said the 21-year-old at a press conference for the Italian first division club. In 2017 he switched to FC Bayern from Holland-Klub Feyenoord, where he made a total of 17 competitive games (four goals) for the professionals.
Ultimately, however, Zirkzee was not believed to be able to succeed Robert Lewandowski in Munich, which is why a move to Bologna was agreed. There, however, the start was anything but successful.
Early dismissal of coach leads to system change
Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic had to vacate his position at the beginning of September after his team had drawn only three of their first five league games. His successor was ex-national player Thiago Motta, who changed the system a little later.
While Bologna still had two strikers in the first games of the season, Motta recently preferred a 4-2-3-1 system in which top scorer Marko Arnautovic acts as the only striker. “For me it’s a bit more difficult because there’s only one striker and I have fewer chances, but I would have decided to switch anyway,” Zirkzee said.
“I chose Bologna because I had positive feelings. At the moment my goal is to get more minutes, train hard and help the team get better results,” explained the youngster. “Many languages are spoken here and I like that, I was very well received, I immediately felt at home and the city is also very beautiful.”
Arnautovic set at FC Bologna
So far, Joshua Zirkzee has only played twice for Bologna in Serie A, both times as a substitute. He has not yet managed to participate in a goal.
Sporting director Giovanni Sartori reiterated: “We have great confidence in Joshua, he is one of the most promising and interesting youngsters in international football. He can play both with and instead of Arnautovic.”
The Austrian Arnautovic is currently leading the scorer list in Serie A with six goals. “He’s a role model,” said Zirkzee when asked about the former Bremen striker.