Elias Kachunga
Kachunga with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2010
Personal information
Full name Elias Kachunga[1]
Date of birth (1992-04-22) 22 April 1992 (age 31)
Place of birth Haan, Germany
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Cambridge United
Number 21
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2012 Borussia Mönchengladbach II 47 (13)
2010–2014 Borussia Mönchengladbach 2 (0)
2012 → VfL Osnabrück (loan) 17 (10)
2012 → Hertha BSC II (loan) 4 (3)
2012 → Hertha BSC (loan) 2 (0)
2012–2013 → SC Paderborn (loan) 13 (3)
2013–2015 SC Paderborn 55 (12)
2015–2017 FC Ingolstadt 04 10 (0)
2016–2017 → Huddersfield Town (loan) 42 (12)
2017–2020 Huddersfield Town 75 (4)
2020–2021 Sheffield Wednesday 27 (0)
2021–2023 Bolton Wanderers 70 (2)
2023– Cambridge United 17 (3)
International career‡
2008–2009 Germany U17 8 (1)
2009–2010 Germany U18 7 (2)
2010–2011 Germany U19 7 (3)
2011–2012 Germany U20 3 (0)
2014 Germany U21 2 (0)
2017 DR Congo 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:19, 27 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2017

Elias Kachunga (born 22 April 1992) is a professional footballer who plays for Cambridge United as a forward. Born in Germany, Kachunga represents the DR Congo national team.

Early and personal life

Born in Haan, Germany,[2] Kachunga has a Congolese father and a German mother.[3]

Club career

Kachunga spent his early career in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach, VfL Osnabrück, Hertha BSC and SC Paderborn.[2][4] Following Paderborn's relegation, he moved to FC Ingolstadt 04 in June 2015.[5] He was the club's record signing, at a transfer fee of €1.7 million.[3] He signed a season-long loan deal with an option to buy at the end with English Championship club Huddersfield Town in June 2016.[6] He made his debut for them on 6 August 2016, scoring the first goal in a 2–1 win over Brentford.[7] On 22 March 2017, Huddersfield paid Ingolstadt £1.1 million to turn Kachunga's loan deal into a permanent transfer.[8]

In December 2017 he was ruled-out for three months due to injury.[9]

He was released by Huddersfield at the end of the 2019–20 season.[10]

On 2 September 2020, he was signed by Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer.[11][12] He made his debut coming off the bench against Cardiff City on the opening day of the season.[13] He scored his first goal for Wednesday in a 2-0 EFL Cup win against Rochdale on 15 September 2020.[14]

On 20 May 2021, it was announced that he would leave Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract.[15]

On 6 August 2021, he signed for Bolton Wanderers.[16][17] He made his debut a day later as a late substitute against Milton Keynes Dons and provided an assist for Alex Baptiste in the 95th minute, rescuing a point for Bolton in a 3–3 draw.[18] His first Bolton goal came on 7 November in a 2–2 draw against Stockport County in the FA Cup.[19] On 2 April, he started in the 2023 EFL Trophy Final. He scored the third goal, with the Final against Plymouth Argyle eventually ending with a 4–0 Bolton win.[20] On 23 May the club confirmed that Kachunga would be leaving at the end of his contract in June.[21]

On 1 August 2023 he signed for Cambridge United.[22]

International career

Kachunga has represented Germany at all youth age levels from under-17 through to under-21.[23]

He debuted for the senior DR Congo national team in a friendly 2–1 loss to Kenya on 26 March 2017.[24][25]

Career statistics

As of match played on 27 January 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Borussia Mönchengladbach II 2009–10[2] Regionalliga West 4 0 — — — 4 0
2010–11[2] Regionalliga West 24 1 — — — 24 1
2011–12[2] Regionalliga West 18 12 — — — 18 12
Total 47 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 47 13
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2010–11[2] Bundesliga 2 0 0 0 — — 2 0
2011–12[2] Bundesliga 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2012–13[2] Bundesliga 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
VfL Osnabrück (loan) 2011–12[2] 3. Liga 17 10 0 0 — — 17 10
Hertha BSC II (loan) 2012–13[2] Regionalliga Nordost 4 3 — — — 4 3
Hertha BSC (loan) 2012–13[2] 2. Bundesliga 2 0 1 0 — — 3 0
SC Paderborn (loan) 2012–13[2] 2. Bundesliga 13 3 0 0 — — 13 3
SC Paderborn 2013–14[2] 2. Bundesliga 33 6 2 0 — — 35 6
2014–15[2] Bundesliga 32 6 0 0 — — 32 6
Total 55 12 2 0 0 0 0 0 57 12
FC Ingolstadt 04 2015–16[2] Bundesliga 10 0 0 0 — — 10 0
2016–17[2] Bundesliga 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
Total 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
Huddersfield Town (loan) 2016–17[26] Championship 42 12 2 0 1 1 3[a] 0 48 13
Huddersfield Town 2017–18[27] Premier League 19 1 0 0 2 0 — 22 1
2018–19[28] Premier League 20 0 1 0 1 0 — 22 0
2019–20[29] Championship 36 3 0 0 1 0 — 37 3
Total 75 4 1 0 4 0 0 0 81 4
Sheffield Wednesday 2020–21[13] Championship 27 0 0 0 2 1 — 29 1
Bolton Wanderers 2021–22[30] League One 32 2 2 2 2 0 5[b] 0 41 4
2022–23[31] League One 38 0 1 0 2 1 9[c] 3 50 4
Total 70 2 3 2 4 1 14 3 91 8
Cambridge United 2023–24[32] League One 17 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 20 4
Career total 391 62 10 3 8 3 18 3 430 72
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in the EFL Championship play-offs.
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy.
  3. ^ Seven appearances in the EFL Trophy, two appearances in the League One play-offs

Honours

Huddersfield Town
Bolton Wanderers

References

  1. ^ "Squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Elias Kachunga at Soccerway. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b Thorsten Felske (4 July 2015). "Kachunga (23) ist der Wechsel-König" (in German). Bild. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  4. ^ Elias Kachunga at fussballdaten.de (in German)
  5. ^ "KACHUNGA NACH INGOLSTADT" (in German). Bundesliga. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Elias Kachunga: Huddersfield sign Ingolstadt striker on loan". BBC Sport. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Huddersfield Town 2-1 Brentford". 6 August 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  8. ^ "Elias Kachunga: Huddersfield Town sign on-loan striker for £1.1m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Elias Kachunga: Huddersfield striker out with medial ligament injury". 18 December 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  10. ^ Chicken, Steven (24 July 2020). "Ten players depart Huddersfield Town with two deals extended". YorkshireLive.
  11. ^ "Wednesday sign Elias Kachunga". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Wednesday sign forward Kachunga" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  13. ^ a b "Games played by Elias Kachunga in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Rochdale 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Owls confirm 2020/21 retained list". www.swfc.co.uk.
  16. ^ McDougall, John (6 August 2021). "Bolton swoop for ex-Huddersfield and Sheff Weds attacker Kachunga". Manchester Evening News.
  17. ^ "Bolton bring in striker Kachunga" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  18. ^ "Bolton Wanderers 3-3 Milton Keynes Dons" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  19. ^ "County hold Bolton in entertaining draw" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  20. ^ a b "Bolton Wanderers 4-0 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport.
  21. ^ "Wanderers Confirm Retained List". bwfc.co.uk. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Cambridge sign former Bolton forward Kachunga" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  23. ^ "Elias Kachunga » Internationals". worldfootball.net.
  24. ^ "Kenya v Congo DR". 26 March 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
  25. ^ "Léopards : La RDC chute 2-1 en amical face au Kenya". 26 March 2017.
  26. ^ "Games played by Elias Kachunga in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  27. ^ "Games played by Elias Kachunga in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  28. ^ "Games played by Elias Kachunga in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  29. ^ "Games played by Elias Kachunga in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  30. ^ "Games played by Elias Kachunga in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  31. ^ "Games played by Elias Kachunga in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  32. ^ "Games played by Elias Kachunga in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  33. ^ Woodcock, Ian (29 May 2017). "Huddersfield Town 0–0 Reading". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elias Kachunga.
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