Artem Stepanov was completely sidelined at 1. FC Nürnberg. Now the loan of the talented Leverkusen striker has been terminated, and he is set to take the next step in his development at FC Utrecht.
It was clear that Artem Stepanov wanted to leave 1. FC Nürnberg during this transfer window and that the loan of the Leverkusen striker would be terminated. Now it’s official: around seven months after the striker’s transfer, the German runners-up have agreed with the Franconians to end the loan deal prematurely.
Stepanov needs regular playing time to develop further
After his interlude at the club, however, 18-year-old Stepanov will not be returning to his home club in Leverkusen, where the center forward would have had no prospect of playing time. Instead, the Ukrainian U-21 international (five appearances, one goal) will move to the Netherlands until the end of the season, where he will hunt for goals for FC Utrecht and take the next step in his development. Sky also reports on this. The regular playing time Stepanov needs should be possible for him at the eleventh-placed club in the Eredivisie.
Stepanov, who could still play for the U19s, was not happy in Nuremberg. The striker started seven times for the Franconians this season, but only managed to collect one assist and was not even included in the matchday squad under coach Miroslav Klose when the 2nd division resumed and Nuremberg lost 2-0 to Darmstadt 98 on Friday.
Despite Stepanov’s disappointing season so far, there were numerous interested parties
The fact that Stepanov would no longer have much of a future under the 2014 World Cup winner had already been more than hinted at during 1. FC Nürnberg’s short winter preparation. Klose, himself a former center forward, did not give the burly striker a single minute of playing time in the three 45-minute halves of the test match against Grasshopper Zurich (7-1).
Despite Stepanov’s disappointing season so far, there were several interested parties from Germany and abroad for the right-footed player. Ultimately, however, FC Utrecht won the bid for the striker, who moved from Shakhtar Donetsk to Leverkusen in August 2022.