No further call ups were planned despite the fact that three players departed camp injured this week. The fact that Collins might now mist both matches nevertheless forced Di Salvo’s hand. 

FC Nürnberg fullback Tim Drexler and Dynamo Dresden centre-back Julian Pauli are on their way from the Germany U20s, who are actually not currently participating in the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile. Neither Drexler nor Pauli (both 20) have been capped at U21 level before.

Di Salvo is already without Brighton’s Brajan Grada, Union Berlin’s Aljoscha Kemlein, and Hertha’s Linus Gechter. Eintracht Frankfurt fullback Elias Baum and Dynamo Dresden midfielder Kofi Amoako have been called up to replace Kemlein and Gechter. 

Di Salvo explained his reasoning at a Thursday press event, explaining that missing too many players left him unable to run 11-aside training sessions. Collins remains eligible, but the squad still looks rather different than it did seven days ago.

The Full squad

Goalkeepers:

Dennis Seimen (SC Paderborn), Max Weiß (FC Burnley), Leon-Oumar Wechsel (GKS Tychy)

Defenders:

Hendry Blank (Hannover 96), Nnamdi Collins (Eintracht Frankfurt), Julian Pauli (Dynamo Dresden), Tim Drexler (1. FC Nürnberg), Leandro Morgalla (VfL Bochum), Joshua Quarshie (FC Southampton), Tom Rothe (Union Berlin), Elias Baum (Eintracht Frankfurt), Lukas Ullrich (Borussia Mönchengladbach)

Midfielders:

Noel Aseko Nkili (Hannover 96), Muhammmed Damar (TSG Hoffenheim), Said El Mala (1. FC Köln), Kofi Amoako (Dynamo Dresden), Mert Kömür (FC Augsburg), Paul Wanner (PSV Eindhoven), Tom Bischof (Bayern Munich), Assan Ouédraogo (RB Leipzig)

Forwards:

Ilyas Ansah (Union Berlin), Dzenan Pejcinovic (VfL Wolfsburg), Nicolo Tresoldi (Club Brugge), Nelson Weiper (Mainz 05)

GGFN | Peter Weis

“I was always proud to represent the DFB Juniors,” Castrop told Kicker’s Oliver Bitter. “My mother left the decision up to me. It was a very difficult decision, and I thought about it for a long time. But I see myself as very Asian in terms of my character traits. I used to take taekwondo and being competitive is a very Asian trait of mine.”

When it comes to learning the language and culture, the German-raised 22-year-old admitted that he had to make some big adjustments. That nevertheless didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for his assignment one bit. Castrop found it an absolute privilege to play for the South Korean team against opponents like Mexico and the USMNT in the states last month.

“We played courageous Korean football,” Castrop said of recent friendlies played in New Jersey and Tennessee. “It was a really intense experience. In New York [where the team camped ahead of the USMNT match] it was basically a home game for us because there are so many Koreans there. South Korean fans seek physical contact with you and shed tears when you pass by. It’s extreme.

“Learning Korean isn’t like learning English or French,” Castrop said of the linguistic learning curve. “The structure of the language and the characters [are different]. I can now read things online, but I can’t understand those who speak Korean. Fortunately, everyone speaks English and I have an interpreter at team meetings. My mother can also teach me a lot, so I’m making progress.

“Everyone is very polite and bows when greeting one another,” Castrop said when talking about locker room culture. “There is a very clear hierarchy in terms of age. There is generally great respect for older people. As a young player, you’re the last to get into the elevator and you bring the others fruit after meals. No one leaves the table until everyone has finished eating.

“He is Korea’s hero,” Castop added what it felt like to play alongside Son Heung-min “The great leader leads the team, gives the speeches, and holds the whole team together. He talks to everyone and has a very close and good relationship with everyone. He really is an incredible personality and is a great person.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

After garnering an assist in Eintracht’s opening round Pokal victory, Uzun set a new club record in Eintracht’s Bundesliga opener. No 19-year-old SGE player had ever recorded three scorer points in a single game. Uzun parlayed his goal and two assists against Werder Bremen into a “scorched earth” start to his season in general, scoring a goal in five straight matches on-the-spin. 

The streak at long last came to an end in Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to Athletico Madrid. Uzun then obviously didn’t get his name on the scoresheet in Bayern Munich’s blanking of his team in the match-day six Bundesliga Saturday evening “Top-Spiel“. A pair of less successful games still doesn’t diminish Uzun’s accomplishments: Six goals and four assists in nine matches across all competitions. 

Both Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany and DFB director Rudi Völler had their chances to register comments about Uzun this week. Völler – with some degree of wistfulness – spoke on his inability to get the Regensburg-native to represent Germany. Kompany noted that Uzun’s rise renders the departure of so many big names from the Bundesliga this summer irrelevant.

SGE sporting director Timmo Hardung also spoke on Uzun on last Sunday’s “Doppelpass” roundtable discussion. The Eintracht personnel executive spoke on the importance of staggering development for young talents like Uzun whilst discussing the player’s first season with Eintracht. 

“We tried [to recruit him],” Völler remarked at the Premier of his new documentary film “Rudi Völler – Es gibt nur einen“. “In the end, we accepted his decision [to represent Turkey] after a lovely conversation with his father and agent. Seeing him have such a successful career now, I have to admit,  brings a little tear to my eye. Because that’s exactly what we hoped for. He’s a wonderful footballer.“

“[Can is] a very good example of what development means and how long it sometimes takes in terms of time and patience,” Hardung added on “Doppelpass“. “He came from the 2. Bundesliga [1. FC Nürnberg] and that was taken into account.The road is far from over, but we can now see what he is capable of.“

“We’ve lost many top players in the Bundesliga,” Kompany noted with a wink when asked about Can at his Friday pre-match press conference. “But that also makes room for a new generation of top players.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Southampton do appear set to complete the singing of a German top flight player soon. The latest on the EFL Championship side’s pursuit of Heidenheim attacker Leo Scienza – per Fabrizio Romano – holds that Scienza has agreed to terms with Southampton and lodged a transfer request with his Bundesliga club. Heidenheim remain prepared to let Scienza depart for €8m to €9m. 

Jander expressed some bewilderment at his unexpected move to the Isle in his club statement. Southampton’s German technical director Johannes Spors noted that Southampton had worked hard to fend off several competitors to secure Jander’s services and welcomed a solid midfield “all-rounder”. 

“It’s really amazing,” Jander noted. “When I heard that Southampton wanted me, I was so interested in coming here. I’m really happy to be here. Southampton is such a big club with so much tradition and so many great players who have played here.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

The Germany under-21 international will join the Championship side for a fee of around €12m guaranteed, as well as substantial add-ons. 

Jandar is travelling today, ahead of having his medical at the club. This will be Southampton’s third signing from Germany this summer. So far, they have already signed Damion Downs from 1.FC Köln for €8m as well as Joshua Quarshie for €3.5m from Hoffenheim. 

Stuttgart had been interested in the 22-year-old for most of the summer, and had even reached an agreement with Jandar over a move to the Bundesliga side. However, Stuttgart struggled to agree a deal with Nürnberg, as the Swabians offered €10m, while the Franken side demanded close to €15m. 

Nürnberg have already signed Jandar’s replacement in Hoffenheim midfielder Finn Ole Becker, who joins on a free transfer. 

Once Jandar’s sale has been completed, he will be Nürnberg’s second biggest sale following the departure of Stefanos Tzimas to Brighton earlier this year for €26.5m. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan

In a rather unusual transaction, Hoffenheim have opted to forgo a transfer fee on the permanent move. Some performance-related bonuses have been negotiated. Additionally, Hoffenheim have secured a re-sale share for the former Germany U21 international. The 25-year-old is still considered a gifted player and maintains an estimated market value of €2m. 

In Becker, Nürnberg have finally procured a replacement for the departed Jens Castrop. Becker – who enjoyed no real playing prospects in Hoffenheim’s crowded midfield – receives a chance to revive his career. Becker didn’t earn a start under head coach Christian Ilzer last season beyond the 26th matchday. As a sparingly used Bundesliga starter, Becker still hasn’t scored his first German top flight goal. 

“Finn approached us in the final year of his contract with a transfer request,” TSG sporting director Andreas Schicker noted in a club statement, “As we still have good options in midfield, we agreed to his move. He’s always been a consummate professional here.” 

“With the signing of Finn, we are filling a vacancy in midfield,” FCN sporting director sporting director Joti Chatzialexiou added. “He has already proven himself at FC St. Pauli and TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga and brings many of the qualities we were looking for in a number eight.”

“I made a very conscious decision to join the traditional club 1. FC Nürnberg,” Becker himself said. “For me, it’s now a matter of taking on responsibility on a young team and leading by example.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Muslija never found his footing with Freiburg after joining the Breisgauer on a €1m transfer from Paderborn during the January 2024 transfer window. In the past 18 months, the 30-times-capped Kosovo international only logged 275 minutes of action under SCF head coaches Christian Streich and Julian Schuster.

Muslija did bring with him some Bundesliga experience (and a pair of top flight goals) from his time spent with Hannover 96 during the 2018/19 season, but couldn’t replicate his success this time. The 27-year-old returns to the second division on a season-long-loan with Fortuna Düsseldorf. 

Düsseldorf have been proactive in attracting players with top division experience this summer and – with the addition of Muslija – procured a serviceable replacement for departed attacking midfielder Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson. Kicker and other German media outlets confirm the existence of a purchase option as part of the deal. 

Augsburg’s Henri Koudoussou, meanwhile, heads to 2. Bundesliga outfit FC Nürnberg without a purchase option. As reported earlier, Augsburg have no plans on giving the 25-year-old talent up. The Fuggerstädter simply wish to ensure that the wingback they recently signed to a lucrative contract extension receives more playing time. 

In the case of Lisztes, the player Eintracht once heavily recruited has been unable to make his Bundesliga debut due to injury. Frankfurt remained very keen on the talented attacking midfielder. The RheinMainAdler paid Ferencvárosi €6m to secure his services in the summer of 2023, agreeing that he would not join up with the SGE until the summer preceding the 2024/25 season. 

Persistent muscular issues unfortunately meant the Lisztes only made three appearances for the Eintracht reserves last year. Lisztes had hoped to follow in the footsteps of his father of the same name. The senior Listztes featured for ten years in the German top flight, representing VfB Stuttgart, Werder Bremen, and Borussia Mönchengladbach between 1996 and 2006.

“Krisztián Lisztes has great potential, which he has unfortunately not been able to show in his first year with us,” Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Timmo Hardung ruefully noted in a club statement. “We are convinced that the loan to his home club will help him gain playing experience and further his development.”

“When the opportunity arose to sign Henri [Koudossou] for the club, we were determined to take it,” Nürnberg sporting director Joti Chatzialexiou said of his new signing. “The signing not only further increases competition for places in this position, but also gives us additional flexibility, as Henri can play on both the right and left sides.” 

“With his creativity, goal-scoring threat and excellent set pieces, Flo [Muslija] brings important skills that will definitely enrich our attacking play,” Fortuna sporting director Christian Weber said of his new signing. “We are delighted that we were able to convince him to make the move to the 2nd division to prove his class once again and help us achieve our goals.”

GGFN | Peter Weis

Augsburg nevertheless see Koudossou’s case as different than that of other players signed to extensions this summer. Noahkhai Banks (18) and Mert Kömür (20) are to remain with the club and continue their development. Koudossou – a versatile fullback who can play on both flanks – might not accrue much playing time behind Maris Wolf and Dimitrios Giannoulis. 

Koudossou earned plenty of playing time under FCA head coach Jess Thorup last season, but still only started in four of his 21 league appearances. New Augsburg head coach Sandro Wagner has utilized Koudossou as both a fullback and centre-back in pre-season friendlies, but also tried out new summer acquisitions Elias Saad and Kyliane Dong as wingbacks in the role Koudossou would assume in a 3-4-3. 

It might prove the case that Koudossou finds two players ahead of him on the depth chart at both of his preferred positions. In addition to Wolf, Giannoulis, Saad, and Dong, Mads Pedersen can also be deployed as a fullback/wingback. Nürnberg and Magdeburg can provide him with better playing prospects. 

GGFN | Peter Weis

Buchmann initially joined the Bayern academy from Bavarian neighbors Augsburg in 2019. Bayern promoted him to the senior team via a professional contract signed in the summer of 2023. Unfortunately for the young talent, a torn muscle fiber suffered in October 2023 sidelined him. A tendon rupture two months after that ultimately caused him to miss out on 18 months of football.

Buchmann only just returned to action this spring, making two appearances for FCB II in the Regionalliga. He was twice selected for Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany’s Champions League matchday squad, yet remained unused off the bench. Thus far this year, Buchmann has made two appearances for the Bayern reserves. 

“Tarek has everything it takes to establish himself in professional football,” Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund noted in a club statement. “Unfortunately, he has had a lot of bad luck with injuries over the past two years. It’s such that we were all the more delighted that he made his comeback in the first games of the Regionalliga season. Now he has the opportunity to gain valuable playing experience at 1. FC Nürnberg in the 2. Bundesliga.“

“We’ve acquired a highly talented centre-back,” Nürnberg sporting director Joti Chatzialexiou added. “He’s had some bad luck with injuries in the past, but we’re convinced that we can offer the right environment where Tarek can continue his development with us and we can benefit from his strengths.”

“I‘m really looking forward to the challenge ahead at 1. FC Nürnberg and the upcoming season in the 2. Bundesliga,” the 20-year-old – who will be re-united with former Bayern youth coach Miroslav Klose – said. “The trust that the club officials and the coach have placed in me means a lot to me and I will give everything to repay it. I want to perform consistently here, take the next step in my development, and approach the task with maximum motivation.”

GGFN | Peter Weis

Incredible atmospheres and fan culture

Until 1. FC Köln and Hamburg were promoted at the end of last season, the 2. Bundesliga for several years boasted more former German champions than the top flight. Storied clubs steeped in tradition and backed by huge followings – not just across Germany but around the world – find themselves languishing below their standards of decades gone by. All this makes for some incredible atmospheres that must be seen to be believed. And when you factor in the cost of a matchday ticket and beer, not to mention the free transport to the game, then no country rivals Germany.

It’s impossible to predict

For much of last season, 10 clubs were firmly in the promotion race until the final weeks, with the eventual top nine clubs separated by just 10 points. Elversberg upset the apple cart by finishing third and making it to the relegation playoff, just one point behind HSV. The league is simply impossible to predict, anyone can beat anyone and remains fiercely tight throughout. With a host of sides missing out on Bundesliga promotion last season, and the additions of relegated VfL Bochum and Holstein Kiel, along with 3. Liga newcomers Dynamo Dresden and none other than DFB Pokal finalists Arminia Bielefeld, the upcoming campaign promises to be even more unpredictable than the last.

A league of sleeping giants and big names

FC Köln and HSV may have earned promotion back into the top flight – the latter after a seven-year absence – but there are still a number of sleeping giants in the 2. Bundesliga. 1. FC Nürnberg, a nine-time German champion, have found themselves languishing in the second division since 2019. 1. FC Kaiserslautern – who won the Bundesliga in 1998 – found themselves in the 3. Liga in 2022 but since returned and narrowly missed out on the promotion playoff. Schalke 04 and Hertha Berlin are two clubs steeped in history with exceptional fanbases, but find themselves stuck in the second division while Hannover will also be eager to return to the Bundesliga under Christian Titz. And when it comes to big names, there are few bigger than Miroslav Klose in German football, who coaches FC Nürnberg in what is his first professional coaching job.

GGFN | Harry Good