The Armenian national team's forward Grant-Leon Ranos recently joined the 2. Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern on loan. Today, the team will face Greuther Fürth.
It's unlikely that we will see Grant-Leon Ranos on the pitch today, but we’ll have the chance to assess his competitors for a place in the lineup. It is worth noting that the contract includes a clause stating Kaiserslautern will pay a fine to Borussia Mönchengladbach for every match Ranos does not play. Thus, the Armenian forward will get game time, but its extent will depend on him.
Kaiserslautern often plays with formations like 3-4-3 or 3-4-1-2, similar to the tactics used by Petrakov with the Armenian national team.
Ranos is unlikely to be considered as the main central forward, as this position is occupied by the team captain Daniel Hanslik. Additionally, the team’s top scorer Ragnar Ache has played 3 matches for the German national team, scoring 2 goals.
The main competition will be for the left winger position, currently held by the Japanese loanee Daisuke Yokota. Recently, former teammate of Adamyan, Faride Alidou, was brought in for this position after failing to secure a spot in Verona, where he played only 3 matches. Overall, the team lacks wingers, and one of them is currently injured.
Ranos' main competitors for a place in the squad:
- Daisuke Yokota (€2.5M, 24, winger, on loan from Gent) — 13 matches, 2 goals, 3 assists.
- Faride Alidou (€2M, 23, winger, transferred from Verona) — 3 matches in Serie A.
- Aaron Opoku (€800K, 25, winger) — 9 matches, 2 goals, 3 assists.
- Kenny-Prince Redondo (€500K, 30, winger) — 9 matches, 1 goal. Injured.
- Ragnar Ache (€5M, 26, winger/CF) — 14 matches, 9 goals, 1 assist.
- Daniel Hanslik (€800K, 28, CF) — 16 matches, 6 goals, 6 assists. Team captain.
- Richmond Tachie (€800K, 25, CF/winger) — 9 matches, 1 goal.
- Yannick Mause (€600K, 26, CF) — 12 matches, 2 assists.
- Dikson Abiama (€500K, 26, CF) — 5 matches.
- Grant-Leon Ranos (€800K, 21, CF/winger) — 2 matches in the Bundesliga, 4 matches, 3 goals, and 2 assists in Regionalliga.
Ranos will likely have opportunities to come off the bench, but becoming a regular starter will require considerable effort.
There are 10 players competing for the three attacking positions. Excluding the injured Redondo and the underutilized Abiama, this leaves 8 players for 3 positions.
The loan to Kaiserslautern will be crucial for Grant-Leon’s career. He needs to show his full potential to secure a future in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s main squad.
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