The clubs in the 2nd Bundesliga have again held back on the transfer market during the winter break - with one exception.
Leader SV Darmstadt 98 afforded one of the most expensive newcomers in the club's history in Filip Stojilkovic. Prosecutor Hamburger SV, on the other hand, relies on well-known loan players and is thus keeping with the league trend of increasingly relying on loan deals.
Only on the last day of the transfer period did Liga-Primus Darmstadt announce the agreement with Stojilkovic. According to media reports, the Hessians should transfer around two million euros to the Swiss club FC Sion for the attacker, whose contract runs until 2027. After Roman Bezjak, who came from HNK Rijeka for a similar amount in 2016, Stojilkovic would be the most expensive purchase in the club's history.
The 23-year-old Swiss has also reportedly received offers from FC Schalke 04 and Juventus Turin but settled on coach Torsten Lieberknecht's Bundesliga contender. "I really wanted to go to the Lilien and I'm really happy that it finally worked out. The talks with those involved in Darmstadt gave me a very good feeling right from the start and I've been following the club's path not just since yesterday," said Stojilkovic.
HSV relies on loan players
HSV, on the other hand, is hoping for the support of the three loan players Javi Montero (Besiktas Istanbul), Noah Katterbach (1. FC Köln) and Andras Nemeth (KRC Genk) in the fight for promotion. So far, only 1. FC Nürnberg have presented more newcomers, signing Benjamin Goller (Werder Bremen), Jannes Horn (VfL Bochum), Florian Flick (FC Schalke 04), Peter Vindahl Jensen (AZ Alkmaar) and Danny Blum. Except for Goller and Blum, who was previously without a club, they are all on loan. On the other hand, only Manuel Wintzheimer, who is loaned out to Eintracht Braunschweig, is on the departure side.
There was also a greater need for action at SV Sandhausen, who were threatened with relegation and who, in addition to the former Stuttgart player Hamadi Al Ghaddioui (FC Pafos/Cyprus), loaned three players and gave up three players. With a total of seven transfers, Sandhausen is at the top of the number of winter transfers together with newly promoted 1. FC Kaiserslautern (three arrivals/four departures).
Table 2. Bundesliga All second division players
