While on the lookout for a striker, the Austrian team discovered Copenhagen was prepared to deal with a player who, at the age of 17, had only managed five goals in 32 appearances, all of which had been in the Europa Conference League.
According to sporting director Andreas Schicker, “we looked for somebody with a lot of speed and depth in his game,” Sport is informed. “We noticed right away from our early scouting that Rasmus would be a wonderful fit for our style of play.
“We conducted character checks on him and his family early in the process, which was another crucial step.
For a player his age, his mental toughness and character were quite amazing.”
The club had never spent more money on a youngster when Sturm paid £1.6 million to sign the Denmark youth international in January 2022, although there was some skepticism about the deal.
As promised, Hojlund scored two goals on his debut, four in his next four games, and a total of 12 goals in 21 games until Atalanta, of the Serie A, acquired the striker for nearly ten times the amount Sturm had spent seven months prior.
“From his first day on in Graz, he convinced us that we made the right decision in getting him, and everybody saw that he was and is destined for higher duties in football,” says Schicker.
