Brajan Gruda, Arnaud Kalimuendo and more: Vote for your favourite Bundesliga transfer of the winter window!
The transfer window slammed shut on Monday evening as teams across Germany concluded their business, but which club produced the best deals?
While the winter market is notoriously difficult for unearthing top talent, here are eight transfers that promise to be a success, including Brajan Gruda's move to RB Leipzig and Arnaud Kalimuendo's switch to Eintracht Frankfurt.
And we want you to vote for your favourite in the Bundesliga app!
The nominees
Phillip Tietz (Mainz, from Augsburg)
Having made just 10 substitute appearances for Augsburg in the 2025/26 Bundesliga before Christmas – and zero starts – Tietz was allowed to depart for Mainz as new head coach Urs Fischer attempted to boost his attacking options.
The 28-year-old has earned a reputation for being able to provide both goals and assists at Augsburg and Darmstadt, and he has proven that once more in his first few weeks at the MEWA Arena. He has started all five games for the 05ers since his arrival, scoring once and providing two assists to help Mainz amass an impressive 10 points. With Benedict Hollerbach ruled out for the rest of the season, the centre-forward’s easy integration into the starting line-up could be even more crucial.
Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg, on loan from Brøndby)
It was a case of one in, one out at Augsburg, as Gregoritsch rocked up at the WWK Arena from Denmark. The Austria international previously scored 31 goals in 129 appearances for the club before moving to Freiburg and then Brøndby, making his a welcome return to Bavaria.
It has not taken him long to settle back into familiar surroundings, starting three games and scoring both goals in the 2-1 victory over St. Pauli on Matchday 20. With a wealth of Bundesliga experience under his belt, his arrival could be invaluable as Augsburg aim to secure their place in next season’s top flight.
Brajan Gruda (RB Leipzig, on loan from Brighton)
Formerly at Mainz, Gruda departed for the English Premier League in 2024 as an emerging talent and a part of Germany’s exciting new generation. Things haven’t always gone to plan during his 18 months at Brighton, but he remains a top talent and, at the age of just 21, has plenty of time still to develop.
This, after all, is a player who is a Fritz Walter Silver Medal winner, while he was called up to Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad for the team’s UEFA Euro 2024 preparations. Given the number 10 at the Red Bull Arena, he has the next six months to show everyone what he is capable of.
Watch: Gruda's Bundesliga goals & assists
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (Cologne, on loan from Manchester City)
Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho, Jamie Gittens – the list of English players whose first name starts with J to shine in the Bundesliga includes some real stars, and Simpson-Pusey may well join them in the coming months. The highly-rated 20-year-old has teamed up with the Billy Goats until the end of the campaign, and has already shown his worth.
Already with six first-team appearances for Manchester City to his name, he has started three games for Cologne at the heart of the back four, with his side picking up four points along the way. A muscle injury has kept him out of the last two fixtures, and Lukas Kwasniok will hope he makes a quick recovery.
Watch: Jahmai Simpson-Pusey arrives at Cologne
Arnaud Kalimuendo (Eintracht Frankfurt, on loan from Nottingham Forest)
Frankfurt have a knack for attracting prolific strikers, and Kalimuendo may just be the next forward ace to make his mark with the Eagles. After 27 goals in the last two Ligue 1 seasons, a bit-part role at Nottingham Forest during the first half of this term saw him move to Germany last month on loan.
He made an immediate impact on his debut, assisting Younes Ebnoutalib’s debut goal against Borussia Dortmund on his own maiden appearance for the club. He has since found the back of the net himself twice, and while he is yet to taste victory in his five Bundesliga appearances, new Frankfurt head coach Albert Riera will no doubt be eager to work with the 24-year-old.
Watch: Arnaud Kalimuendo's arrival in Frankfurt
Jovan Milošević (Werder Bremen, on loan from VfB Stuttgart)
Having joined Stuttgart in 2023, Milošević has spent the last two-and-a-half years away on loan. The past 12 months of that have been at Partizan Belgrade in his Serbian homeland, and it is fair to say he enjoyed himself there. This term, he managed 16 goals in 23 games for the club in all competitions before being recalled by the Swabians in January.
This latest temporary switch will allow Milošević more time to adapt to the Bundesliga, and he has had a solid start to life at Bremen, scoring once in his opening five fixtures. It remains to be seen whether Horst Steffen's departure and Daniel Thioune's arrival will affect his development, but the 20-year-old is a striker with impressive ability.
Kōta Takai (Borussia Mönchengladbach, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
Gladbach added Takai to their defence in January in an attempt to add extra solidity to their backline. A four-time Japan international, he is a “tall, physically strong centre-half who also has good pace,” as per sporting director Rouven Schröder.
Prior to his move to Tottenham, he featured for Kawasaki Frontale in his homeland, making his debut at the age of just 17 and later winning the Japanese top flight’s Best Young Player award in 2024. He has made just one start so far, but he has what it takes to be a positive influence between now and the end of the term.
Damion Downs (Hamburg, on loan from Southampton)
Downs was an integral part of Cologne’s promotion to the Bundesliga last season, scoring 10 goals in 29 second-tier appearances. However, after just 14 outings in all competitions at Southampton following his switch last summer, he has returned to Germany for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
With just 19 goals in the Bundesliga this campaign, Hamburg have the joint-second worst attack in the division. Merlin Polzin will therefore hope Downs can make a tangible contribution as he looks to keep HSV amongst the elite beyond May.
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