Cardiff City’s €6m transfer mistake is back in the Bundesliga - he’s scored 80 goals since leaving | OneFootball

Robert Glatzel has gone from Cardiff City flop to one of the most prolific strikers in Germany

Robert Glatzel's journey from the Cardiff City Stadium to the Bundesliga represents one of the most stark examples of a Championship transfer gone wrong, with the German striker now thriving after the Bluebirds' big investment produced minimal returns.

When Neil Warnock made Glatzel his "number one" summer target in 2019, Cardiff pulled out all the stops to secure the 6ft 4in striker from FC Heidenheim for a fee worth €6m.

The German had impressed in the 2. Bundesliga with 17 goals in 29 appearances - including a memorable hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal that finished 5-4.

Warnock was convinced he had found the perfect striker to lead Cardiff's promotion charge. "He's a player we've been chasing for over five weeks. It's been hard work to get it over the line, but I'm delighted to welcome him," the manager declared upon Glatzel's arrival.

Robert Glatzel was a £5.5m gamble that backfired

The striker himself expressed optimism when he moved to South Wales, saying "I'm very happy to be here, I can't wait to get to work, get to know the fans and start the season."

However, what followed was a transfer that would become emblematic of Cardiff's recent struggles with big-money signings - over two seasons, Glatzel managed just 11 goals in 58 appearances across all competitions.

His time with the Bluebirds was ultimately marked by consistency struggles - which would have been disappointing for Warnock's successor, Neil Harris, who once said "His finishing is as good as anyone I have worked with as a player or a coach.

"He is that good of a finisher," Harris concluded.

But the writing was on the wall when Glatzel's third and final Cardiff manager, Mick McCarthy, quickly decided the German was "not for him," shipping him out on loan to Mainz 05 in January 2021.

Glatzel never played for Cardiff again, with the club accepting a permanent transfer to Hamburger SV for just under €1m in July later that year - a fraction of what they had paid just two years earlier.

From Cardiff flop to Hamburg star

Since joining Hamburg, Glatzel has been nothing short of sensational. He has scored 80 goals in 129 appearances for the German outfit, establishing himself as one of the most prolific forwards in the country.

His 2. Bundesliga goal tallies of 22, 19, 22, and ten goals across his four seasons with Hamburg demonstrate the consistency that Cardiff never witnessed.

The 24/25 season proved to be the highest point of Glatzel's Hamburg journey. Despite battling injuries early in the campaign, he contributed ten goals in 15 appearances as 'die Rothosen' finally achieved their long-awaited promotion to the Bundesliga.

After seven years in the second tier following their 2018 relegation, the club secured automatic promotion with a commanding 6-1 victory over Ulm - they finished 2nd on 59 points.

For Glatzel, this represents his first opportunity to play in Germany's top-flight since that brief loan spell with Mainz. Now 31, the striker has undoubtedly shown resilience to overcome his Cardiff City struggles.

The transfer that highlights Cardiff's recruitment issues

During the Vincent Tan era of disappointment, Glatzel joins a long list of expensive signings who failed to deliver value for money, including Gary Madine (£6m), Andreas Cornelius (£7.5m), and Josh Murphy (£11m).

The fact that Cardiff recouped just under €1m for a player they paid €6m for shows just how bad their investment has been. When considering Glatzel's subsequent success with Hamburg - where he has averaged more than a goal every two games - the magnitude of the Bluebird's mistake becomes even more apparent.

As Hamburg prepare for their return to the Bundesliga, Glatzel's story serves as a reminder about just how hard it is for international players to find form in England - although Cardiff's current 6ft 5in Danish striker, Yousef Salech, scored eight in half a season.

Cardiff fans will perhaps be feeling mixed emotions as their former flop takes his place among Germany's elite whilst they have to watch third-tier football for the first time in 22 years.