Matthew Hoppe was left out of the Real Mallorca squad this weekend as Championship rivals Sunderland and Middlesbrough compete to sign the USA international striker, as reported by Diario de Mallorca.
Talk about an overnight sensation.
Schalke had failed to win any of their first 15 Bundesliga games during a miserable 2020/21 campaign. That is, until Hoppe was thrown in at the deep end for Hoffenheim’s trip to the Veltins Arena.
But if fans of one of Germany’s best-supported clubs were wondering if the teenage striker would sink or swim in much choppier waters, they soon had their answer.
A 4-0 win and a stunning hat-trick appeared to announce Hoppe as another superstar striking in-waiting on the banks of the Ruhr, as Erling Haaland continued to blitz Bundesliga defenders a few miles down the road at Dortmund.
“Seeing him there today, scoring three goals in probably one of the most difficult moments in Schalke’s history, is just incredible,” the legendary Jurgen Klinsmann said at the time.
“This is a fairytale story, you know? It should make the kid super proud. It should make the youth system in America super proud and it’s a big, big deal at Schalke.”
Is Matthew Hoppe heading to the Championship?
That apparently coming-of-age performance, however, was nearly two years ago. Hoppe has scored fewer league goals since then (two) than he did inside 21 minutes when Hoffenheim came to town.
The striker’s £3 million move to La Liga just hasn’t gone to plan. And Hoppe has gone from being linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool to finding himself at the heart of a North Eastern tug of war, with second-tier duo Middlesbrough and Sunderland on both sides of the rope.
According to 90Min, Hoppe is keen on a move to the Riverside; Where he would reunite with fellow USA international Zack Steffen. Sunderland are also in contention, despite signing Ellis Simms on loan from Everton late last week.
And Hoppe’s absence from Mallorca’s 1-1 friendly draw with Napoli on Sunday will not have gone unnoticed. In fact, the 21-year-old centre-forward, who idolises Harry Kane, has not played a minute of pre-season football for his La Liga employers all summer long.
Rarely has one player needed a fresh start as much as Hoppe does.
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