VfB Stuttgart have endured the worst possible return to action following the Bundesliga’s traditional winter break. The side from southwest Germany first lost 3-1 at Borussia Mönchengladbach, and then a week later they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened VfL Bochum.

There was one common thread in both those losses: the absence of star striker Serhou Guirassy, who is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Guinea.

The in-form forward was the player to watch during the first 16 matchdays of the season, scoring an impressive 17 goals. That’s only five less than Bayern Munich’s €100 million man Harry Kane. But rumours of Guirassy’s potential departure started circulating early in the season as a release clause in his contract became public knowledge. The 27-year-old will be able to leave MHPArena for a modest transfer fee of €20m this summer, with Stuttgart holding no leverage to prevent the move.

It would perhaps be understandable if Guirassy tried to cash in on his newfound fame. The Guinea international is something of a late bloomer, having spent most of his career bouncing from one team to another. His last spell in the Bundesliga, a 2½-year stint at FC Cologne, was a fruitless one to the extent that Guirassy had largely been written him off before staging a comeback in Ligue 1 with Amiens, where he scored nine goals in 23 league games in 2019-20. He continued to be a good, but not overly impressive, striker for Stade Rennais in the next two years.

When Stuttgart paid a transfer fee of around €9m for his services in 2022, it raised eyebrows because the club, despite being located in the wealthiest region of Germany, are known for being rather frugal. To spend so freely on a player who had amassed just six goals in 37 appearances spread across the Bundesliga and the 2.Bundesliga invited questions. Yet here we are, talking about a player who is now the league’s second-leading scorer, potentially making a move to the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle United and AC Milan.

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All these clubs have been linked to Guirassy in recent times — although one should be suspicious of any transfer rumours regarding the Red Devils, who are linked to stacks of players every year, but that’s another story. What is more certain is that Guirassy will eventually leave, most likely during the summer transfer window, which means that Stuttgart will have to figure out a future without their first-choice frontman.

What helps the club brace for his eventual exit is their experience with losing their best players. In order to witness Guirassy bloom, they had to let his predecessor Sasa Kalajdzic go to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2022.

These sorts of deals don’t damage Stuttgart’s ego too much considering they are not in the same position as Borussia Dortmund, who intend to compete with the best in Europe. Despite their successful run until Christmas, which saw them rise to third place in the Bundesliga, Stuttgart are fully content with further consolidating their finances and finding new prospects, be it in France or the 2.Bundesliga. After years of turmoil, during which the club were even relegated twice, every minute spent safely above the relegation zone is one to savour.

And yet, there is little hope of staying up without at least one competent striker in the lineup. During the defeat at Bochum, manager Sebastian Hoeness even employed centre-back Dan-Axel Zagadou as a No. 9 for stretches of the game. Before his move to Stuttgart, the former France youth international spent five years at Borussia Dortmund, and while he often had to deal with injuries during that time, he normally only entered the opponents’ penalty area for corner kicks or deep into stoppage time. In short, he cannot be considered a long-term solution.

Stuttgart’s greatest hope for the No. 9 position right now is Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Deniz Undav, who has on occasion played alongside Guirassy in what can be roughly described as a 4-4-2 formation. Undav is a different type of striker, not possessing the same physical presence as Guirassy, particularly in the air. His strengths are more on the ground, with explosive runs behind the back line instead of lurking in the box for crosses and through-balls.

Interestingly, Undav does have some similarities with most of Stuttgart’s attacking midfielders and wingers, who are high-voltage runners and dribblers. The contrast between the rather pedestrian targetman Guirassy and fast-paced attackers like Chris Führich has been part of Stuttgart’s success, creating an interesting dynamic and change of pace that’s often difficult for defences to cope with.

Undav, while not overly impressive in the previous two defeats, is already in the squad and considerably talented, making him a contender to be the successor to Guirassy. And his release clause, which is in the €12m range, could make a permanent move to Stuttgart possible this summer.

Barring something unforeseen, the striker will contribute another couple of goals to Stuttgart’s quest to qualify for European competition before signing the biggest contract of his career, leaving the Bundesliga club to discover the next suitable talent. It’s how the football business goes.