Silas admits surprise at summer move: "I didn't plan on leaving VfB." | OneFootball

Despite the fact that his star with VfB Stuttgart had been sinking for some time, Congolese international "Silas" Katompa Mvumpa found himself surprised by his loan out to Red Star Belgrade at the beginning of this season. While not necessarily the most influential actor in Stuttgart's Champions' League qualifying campaign last season, the 26-year-old did score seven goals and garnered six assists in 30 appearances across all competitions for Sebastian Hoeneß' Swabians last year.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Silas looked ahead to this evening's Champions' League meeting with his parent club.Once heralded as one of the Bundesliga's next great talents, the Kinshasa-native struggled to recover his form after a major ACL injury in the spring of 2021 and legal ramifications stemming from the falsification of his birth name by his former agent. Successive VfB trainers Pellegrino Matarazzo and Bruno Labbadia both leveled criticism at the former €25 million valued player's work ethic

Silas claimed in the interview that he - after a strong training camp this summer - the news that he would be on the move proved most unexpected. After several moves prior to the German transfer deadline fell through, the Cannstatter ultimately loaned him out to the Serbian champions before the window closed in the Eastern European country. There are rumors that Silas and his representatives insisted on a move to another Champions' League side. The player more-or-less confirmed this in the interview.

“I didn't plan on leaving VfB,” Silas told Sky, "I worked hard over the summer. When the season started, I was very surprised when I was told that I needed to change clubs. That's why I then switched to a team playing in the Champions League. I love Stuttgart very much. The club has given me a lot and the fans also know how much I love their club."

"The Champions' League was always a dream for me and Red Star gave me a chance to play in this competition," Silas nevertheless continued, "It wasn't easy. It's a new country, a different language and a different climate. But my teammates helped me to integrate well into the team."