Fulham’s Germany international Andre Schurrle is disappointed at the upheaval to come this summer, as relegation cuts short his second spell in the Premier League.
Schurrle signed on a two-season loan from Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund last summer, one of a number of high-profile signings which raised expectations at Craven Cottage.
But following Fulham’s disastrous campaign, Schurrle will not return for a spell in the Championship – something which will affect his personal, as well as professional, life.
“It is difficult for the family because you sign for two seasons and you want to stay, you want to be comfortable, relax and have everything in place,” he told Fulham’s official website.
“And now you have to go back again. It’s not easy and not what I expected or wanted but, like I said, football is sometimes unexpected.
“I think I showed my qualities and the way I can play. Until January I felt very good on the pitch. I had my positions, I knew where to go, and I felt like I could score at any time.
“But for me it was a difficult season because I wanted to play all the games, get a lot of minutes, to come and be strong and obviously help the team to stay up or have a decent campaign.
“For me, as well as the team, it was not the best season. In the end we did not play close to the quality that I have, that the team has. I leave here with a lot of frustration and a lot of unfinished business.”
Schurrle, a former Premier League and World Cup champion, finished the season with six goals in 24 league appearances for Fulham, but the end of his campaign was curtailed as he struggled for fitness after a virus.
After initially missing the trip to West Ham in mid-February, Schurrle played just 29 more minutes as the Cottagers were relegated after nine defeats in their final 12 fixtures.
“Until then I was feeling really good and that I could make a bit of a difference, help the team, and that maybe we could turn it around,” Schurrle said.
“It was a tough moment for me because the reason why I came here was to help the club, help the fans and the team, but after this I wasn’t able to get back to my normal stage and couldn’t help anymore.
“I saw all the games [while sidelined] and you always feel that you could do something, you can help, but at the same time you know your health isn’t close to being good enough to compete in the Premier League. It was a difficult time.”
