Ricardo Pepi joins PSV - Why did the USMNT star struggle in the Bundesliga?

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FC Augsburg have agreed a deal to sell US men’s national team striker Ricardo Pepi to PSV Eindhoven. With Pepi now sold to PSV for €11 million, the Bundesliga side has ended one of the biggest misunderstandings in the club’s history. Signed for a club record fee €16.36m by Augsburg in January 2023, the Bundesliga club now moved on the player with a loss. 

Market Value

R. Pepi Centre-Forward

€11.00m

Although neither club disclosed the transfer fee, a report out of the Netherlands suggested that Augsburg will receive up €8m for Pepi plus an additional €2m in performance-based add-ons. But several reports in Germany have suggested a fee of €11m, which would make the US striker the second most expensive departure in Augsburg’s history. Furthermore, the club has also secured a sell-on clause—Sky Germany reported 25% and Kicker 20%. 

“The transfer to Eindhoven is a good solution for everyone,” director of sport Stefan Reuter said in a club statement. “Ricardo has told us that he wants to join PSV, and the financial package was satisfactory, which meant we were willing to agree on a transfer. We wish Ricardo Pepi all the best for the future.” PSV, in the meantime, were delighted that they had secured the US striker. "Ricardo possesses the qualities we look for in an attacker, the qualities of a PSV player,” director of football affairs Earnest Stewart said in a club statement. “He has proven to be a goal scorer in multiple positions, and he works extremely hard for it. It speaks volumes that he accounted for such a large portion of FC Groningen's goals."

Pepi to PSV: Why did he fail in the Bundesliga

That last statement is certainly true when one just takes Pepi’s time at Groningen. While failing to score a single goal in the Bundesliga for Augsburg, Pepi managed 12 goals and three assists in 29 games while on loan at the Eredivisie club last season. A pace that more closely resembled his final season in Major League Soccer when Pepi managed 13 goals, and two assists in 31 games for FC Dallas. But at the end of the day, the decision-makers in Augsburg were not convinced that those numbers could translate to a top 4 league like the Bundesliga quite yet. 

Stats

R. Pepi Centre-Forward

FC Augsburg

Career stats–
All competitions

Games

16

Goals

0

Assists

0

Also, the feeling was that the Pepi camp never made a true effort to make the Augsburg transfer a success, pushing for a move away from the club after just a few months in Germany. And it was clear that Pepi needed some time to get used to the pace in the Bundesliga. Just a glance at the Opta Stats from his Bundesliga campaign underlines those struggles. Pepi managed just five shots on target and two additional shots on goal while only completing 179 touches. 

Those numbers dramatically improved in the Eredivisie. Pepi managed 44 shots overall and 19 on target. The US striker also managed 934 touches. Of course, Pepi played more games, but even with that in mind, his output was more significant. In other words, the Eredivisie suited the 20-year-old better, and it makes sense that the forward preferred to stay in the Netherlands. But now Pepi will have to show that he can produce those same numbers at a top club in that same division before he will make a second run at one of Europe’s top four divisions.