Title-hunger drew Kruse from Gladbach to Wolfsburg

Both teams have qualified directly for the group stages of the Champions League next season, but Kruse has been lured to Wolfsburg in the quest for more silverware after Wolves won the German Cup last season and finished second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga ahead of Gladbach.

The 27-year-old wants to add to his tally of 13 caps for world champions Germany by breaking into Joachim Loew's first-choice team and says Wolfsburg's desire to establish themselves as a top European side made the difference.

"At the end of the day, it's not about how popular a club is, but what prospects it has. I want to win titles and Wolfsburg has a better outlook than Gladbach," Kruse told Sport Bild magazine.

"In Gladbach, no-one would say 'we have to play for the German title and get into the Champions League'. The attitude there isn't the same as mine," added Kruse, who cost Wolfsburg 12 million euros ($12.24m).

Kruse is Wolfsburg's main signing so far with the new season set to start on August 14 when Bayern host Hamburg, while Wolfsburg are home to Eintracht Frankfurt the following day.