Union Berlin aim to end goal drought with Ivorian Emmanuel Latte Lath

Officially announced early Sunday evening, Union Berlin have secured Ivorian striker Emmanuel Latte Lath on a season‑long loan from MLS side Atlanta United. The deal includes an option to buy the player permanently at the end of the 2026/27 campaign. Union will cover Latte Lath’s full salary, reported at roughly €2.8 million per year.

Union Berlin have struggled to find a consistent Bundesliga scorer, with last season’s top scorer Oliver Burke netting only six league goals and Andrej Ilić contributing five goals and 11 assists, primarily as a provider.

Pre‑season results underscored the problem, as the club extended its winless run to six matches after a 2‑2 draw with Cagliari, despite Ilyas Ansah’s late brace.

The 27‑year‑old centre‑forward was developed in Atalanta’s academy and made his senior debut in an Italian cup match in August 2016 before a series of loans across Italy.

He broke through in Switzerland with St. Gallen in 2022/23, scoring 14 goals and providing four assists in 31 league games, which earned him a €7 million move to Middlesbrough.

In England he became a key Championship striker, tallying 29 goals in 67 competitive appearances, including 27 league goals from 59 matches.

Atlanta United paid an MLS‑record fee just under €21 million in February 2025 and offered a contract through 2028 with an optional extra year, but his MLS output fell to seven goals in his first season and only two goals with one assist in 14 league games this year, dropping his market value to about €10 million.

“Emmanuel has worked his way to a high level step by step and demonstrated his quality in different countries,” Union managing director Horst Heldt said. “The Bundesliga is a major challenge that I am really looking forward to. I want to use the opportunity to prove myself at this level and help the team with my qualities.” Union will hope the striker regains the form he showed in Switzerland and England as they head to a training camp in Austria, but he must adapt quickly to the Bundesliga’s pace and physicality to end the club’s pre‑season drought.