Enrico Maaßen praises Ricardo Pepi’s development | OneFootball

Augsburg head coach Enrico Maaßen has praised the development of US international Ricardo Pepi, who is currently on loan at Eredivisie club FC Groningen.

“The calculation worked out perfectly,” said Maaßen. “That was the idea of giving him more playing time in a league that is perhaps not as physically demanding as the Bundesliga, but it still technically good.”

Speaking of a return to Augsburg, Maaßen added: “We are very pleased that his development is going so positively, that he scores a lot of goals and is also in the national team. We look forward to him coming back soon.”

Pepi joined Augsburg from Dallas in January 2022 for just over €16m, a club record, but struggled and failed to score in any of his 15 Bundesliga games (565 minutes) in the Rückrunde.

The 20-year-old then joined Groningen on loan in the summer and has scored 11 and created three in 24 games across all competitions, earning him a place in the current USA squad.

Mergim Berisha, who was brought in on loan, is also expected to join Augsburg on a permanent basis after impressing with 13 goal contributions (9 goals, 4 assists) in 20 Bundesliga games this season. The 24-year-old also earned up a first call-up to the German national team.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder