Who is Serhou Guirassy? The VfB Stuttgart sensation wanted by Man United

15 goals in 10 games 

Serhou Guirassy has written history to start the season. The 27-year-old striker scored 14 goals in the first eight Bundesliga games this season, breaking a start record set by Robert Lewandowski during the 2020/21 season. That season, Lewandowski would set the record for the most goals scored in the Bundesliga (41). Guirassy is still somewhat away from that record and an injury has meant that his pace has slowed somewhat as he has only added one more goal since the prolific start to the season. Among players playing in any of the top 5 leagues, only Bayern Munich star striker and English captain Harry Kane (18 goals) has scored more often than Guirassy this season. 

With that in mind, it isn’t surprising that Guirassy has already been linked with a transfer away from Stuttgart. Although under contract until 2026, reports out of Germany have indicated that the striker has an exit clause that would allow him to leave for just €17.5m this winter. Originally on loan from Stade Rennais, Stuttgart signed Guirassy on a permanent transfer for €9m this summer. But will Guirassy stay beyond this winter? Guirassy recently saw his market value updated from €14m to €40m, which makes him by some distance the most valuable Stuttgart player and clubs have taken notice. The Guardian reported on Friday that Manchester United wants to sign the Guinean national team player as a backup for Danish striker Rasmus Højlund, who is yet to score in the Premier League. 

Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß has been one of the main reasons for the striker’s incredible goalscoring run, who prior to this season has never scored more than 11 goals in a single league campaign. “I tried to show him that a season with 20 goals or more could show his true capabilities,” Hoeneß said. “Once he has done that, then I would expect another category of clubs might be interested in signing him,” Hoeneß added. Indeed, given Guirassy’s start this season, 20 goals certainly seem possible. 

A goal every 47 minutes – Guirassy ahead of Kane in Bundesliga goalscoring

Guirassy put up that record last season when he scored 11 goals in 22 Bundesliga games. This year, Guirassy has been involved in 52% of Stuttgart’s Bundesliga goals and has scored every 47 minutes. In comparison, Bayern’s Kane has netted just every 59 minutes in Bundesliga play for Bayern Munich this season. Indeed, if it wasn’t for a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for two games, Guirassy might very well still be on pace with the England captain. 

The question is, will it last? According to Wyscout, Guirassy’s xG this season has been 7.59 or 7.41 xG less than the goals he actually scored. In other words, there were expectations that Guirassy’s goalscoring will slow down sooner or later. But that just hasn’t happened yet. The good news for Stuttgart, however, is that Guirassy still ranks fifth in the Bundesliga in xG, only behind, Jonas Wind (7.95) Tim Kleindienst (8.5), Victor Boniface (8.51) and Harry Kane (10.37). Guirassy is second overall in Bundesliga goalscoring (overview). 

Guirassy might not break the Bundesliga goalscoring record or finish ahead of Kane or Boniface. But an argument could be made that he could finish the season as a top-three scorer. At the moment, Guirassy ranks seventh in shots in the league and tenth with touches inside the penalty box. If he keeps up that workrate, he will be among the Bundesliga’s top goalscorers at the end of the season. That is if he stays. With Man Utd now joining the long list of interested clubs, there is certainly a chance that Guirassy could be leaving Stuttgart this winter in the hope that he can replicate his red hot start at another club for the rest of the season.

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