Freiburg land highly-rated goalkeeper Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen
Freiburg have strengthened their squad ahead of the new Bundesliga season with the signing of German U21 international Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen.
The 22-year-old stopper has enjoyed an impressive campaign at Bremen this season, racking up five clean sheets from his 32 Bundesliga games to date.
His efforts between the sticks helped keep Die Grün-Weißen in the top flight after a challenging campaign. Backhaus has also established himself at international level in recent years, having played for every German youth side from the U15s to the U21s.
Beginning his footballing journey at Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale, he moved to Germany at the age of 14 to play for Alemannia Aachen. From there, the youngster joined Bremen's famed academy, where he quickly rose through the ranks to eventually become their No.1 goalkeeper.
Backhaus is now set to join Freiburg for the 2026/27 season, fresh from the club's maiden appearance in a UEFA Europa League final. It currently remains to be seen how his arrival will impact the future of star keeper Noah Atubolu, however.
Bremen, meanwhile, have moved quickly to secure an immediate replacement for Backhaus. Karl Hein, who spent this season on loan at the German club, will sign for Bremen on a permanent basis this summer from Arsenal.
Speaking about Backhaus' arrival, Freiburg board member Jochen Saier stated: "[Backhaus] impressively demonstrated the high level of play he can achieve in his first Bundesliga season. His calm and focused manner is contagious."
"He covers all facets of goalkeeping, possesses great potential for development, and will also fit in very well with our team on a personal level. With Mio, we will continue to have a fantastic goalkeeping trio in the future."
Backhaus himself added: "A door has opened, and I feel like I fit right through it. The whole package – the people I've spoken to here, the city, the stadium, and the style of football played in Freiburg – has led to this decision. I want to achieve something with the team, and I'm looking forward to joining the club."
