Reports have emerged linking the club with 18-year-old Bosnian sensation Kerim Alajbegović – a player whose stock has exploded over the last 12 months following a stellar campaign with Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian top flight, backed up by some exceptional performances to help Bosnia qualify for the World Cup.
On paper, Alajbegović represents a quintessential KLD signing. He’s young, immensely talented and boasts an incredibly high developmental ceiling. However, with heavy hitters like Roma already
rumoured to be testing Bayer Leverkusen’s resolve with a £30 million bid, can Sunderland truly contend for one of Europe’s most coveted teenagers, or is this just standard silly-season paper talk?
Who is Kerim Alajbegović?
Alajbegović is described as a highly versatile, dual-footed attacker who is primarily deployed as a left winger. However, he is equally adept and comfortable playing in the No.10 role or as a right winger.
Born in Cologne, Germany, the youngster spent his formative years at his hometown club in the 1. FC Köln academy before joining Leverkusen in the summer of 2021, where his prolific displays at U17 and U19 level caught the eye. However, with first-team involvement in mind, Alajbegović left Leverkusen to join Red Bull Salzburg for a reported £4 million fee.
He then took the Austrian Bundesliga by storm, racking up 13 goals and three assists across 44 appearances in all competitions. His performances were so well received that Leverkusen have already triggered their buy-back clause (rumoured to be £8 million) to bring Alajbegović back into the fold.
Perhaps he is now looking for a big-money move, with Europe’s elite interested and a World Cup on the horizon to showcase his talents further.
What Do His Stats Say?
Whilst 16 goal involvements for a teenager in his debut season in a top European league is impressive enough on its own, Alajbegović’s underlying performance metrics highlight exactly why scouts are drooling over his profile.
Alajbegović ranks in the 99th percentile among European wingers and attacking midfielders for total shot attempts, taking 88 shots in the Austrian Bundesliga alone last term. Taking his natural attacking instincts a step further, his nine league goals came from an xG of 4.67. This overperformance indicates clinical finishing, as he often converts low-probability chances rather than relying on tap-ins.
His 13 goals scored place him in the 82nd percentile among European wingers and attacking midfielders, further underlining his goalscoring threat.
Beyond his raw goalscoring talents, Alajbegović created 37 clear-cut chances in the Austrian Bundesliga alone. That places him in the same conversation as Enzo Le Fée (44 in the Premier League) and Granit Xhaka (41 in the Premier League), putting him in the 77th percentile among European wingers and attacking midfielders.
His expected assists (xA) figures also place him amongst the top creators in red and white. Alajbegović recorded an xA of 4.83 compared to Le Fée’s 5.30 and Xhaka’s 4.90, further highlighting his creative talents against quality, seasoned professionals.
To add to his impressive skill set, Alajbegović possesses genuine two-footedness. Whilst naturally left-footed, he scored six goals from open play with his “weaker” right foot, compared to just two with his stronger foot. This makes him unpredictable in attacking situations and almost impossible for defenders to force him onto a supposedly weaker side.
The Verdict
Kerim Alajbegović possesses an incredibly rare statistical profile for an 18-year-old. He blends elite-level shot volume with creative output and positional versatility.
As both his performances and statistics suggest, Alajbegović would not just fit into Sunderland’s system – he could arguably become Sunderland’s most dangerous natural winger, dictating the tempo of attacks while providing both a significant goalscoring threat and a creative spark.
It’s no wonder some of Europe’s biggest clubs have him on their radar and are credited with serious interest.
Will we see glimpses of his immense talent at the World Cup? And will we see him wearing those glorious hummel red-and-white stripes this summer?
Only time will tell.
