Luka Jovic, Sead Kolasinac and the most exciting winter arrivals so far
In Luka Jovic, Sead Kolasinac, Dominik Szoboszlai, Tim Fosu-Mensah and Joe Scally, five players with a wide range of ages and positions have arrived in the Bundesliga this month.
bundesliga.com shines the spotlight on why you should keep a close eye on each of the quintet of newcomers...
Luka Jovic
Age: 23
Position: Striker
From: Real Madrid to Eintracht Frankfurt (on loan)
Reasons to be excited
Things might not have worked out quite as planned at Real Madrid for Jovic so far, but there is a reason Los Blancos signed him in the first place: he scores goals. The Serbia international’s last season at Frankfurt, in 2018/19, was sensational as he formed a formidable attacking trio with Sebastien Haller and Ante Rebic. Jovic hit 17 Bundesliga goals that term – including a record-breaking five in one game against Fortuna Düsseldorf - to help Frankfurt finish seventh, while they also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, only losing out to eventually champions Chelsea.
Given that Andre Silva has hit 11 of Frankfurt’s 25 league goals in 2020/21 (44 per cent), the arrival of another proven goalscorer should make Adi Hütter’s side even more unpredictable as they seek a return to European competition. Now back in familiar surroundings at the Deutsche Bank Park and with a coach who knows full well what he is capable of, the Jovic of old could well be terrorising defences again very soon.
Watch: The best of Luka Jovic
What they’re saying
“I feel fantastic and I couldn’t be happier to be back at the club that gave me so much. It will be an honour for me to wear the Eintracht shirt over the coming months. I think this is exactly the right step at this stage of my career.” – Luka Jovic
“Luka hasn’t had an easy time of late in Madrid. It’s important for him to find his form again. He had a strong desire to return to Eintracht. Luka can use the next few months to get back to his best in an environment that’s familiar to him.” – Frankfurt sporting director Fredi Bobic
Sead Kolasinac
Age: 27
Position: Left-back
From: Arsenal to Schalke (on loan)
Reasons to be excited
Let’s face it, the romantic lurking inside all of us is hoping for a Hollywood ending at Schalke: the long-lost love returns to save the day. That could well turn into a real-life scenario too, if Schalke’s first-game with Kolasinac back in the side is anything to go by. After a 30-match winless streak, the 27-year-old inspired the Royal Blues to a thumping 4-0 win over Hoffenheim on Matchday 15, giving them a first clean sheet since 16 February 2020 and breathing fresh life into the club’s survival hopes.
Watch: Highlights of Schalke's win over Hoffenheim
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Tenacious, hard-working and a local boy who is well aware of what Schalke means to the region, we could be about to witness the transformation of a player into a living legend. He set the bar high against Hoffenheim, winning 62.5 percent of his duels, but that is the standard Kolasinac will look to uphold as he grabs the team by the scruff of the neck to haul them up the table.
What they’re saying
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Kolasinac effect!” – Former Schalke player and ex-Arsenal teammate Mesut Özil on Twitter after Schalke’s win over Hoffenheim
“Through this loan and him playing for Schalke, we see a chance to inject new impetus. He can give the team a push. He can definitely support the team during a game. He talks a lot with everyone. He’s obviously got a wealth of experience. He’s got character and in terms of his calibre and quality, we could do with a lot more like it.” – Schalke coach Christian Gross
"The most important thing is that we function as a team. We have to be a cohesive unit and tackle this challenge together. No one should back down in the face of it. I want to make my presence felt and take on responsibility both in training and in the games." – Sead Kolasinac
Watch: Sead Kolasinac reflects on the Hoffenheim victory
Dominik Szoboszlai
Age: 20
Position: Attacking midfield
From: Red Bull Salzburg to RB Leipzig
Reasons to be excited
If the newspapers are to be believed, the usual suspects from the Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga and Serie A were all chasing Szoboszlai’s signature, but the prospect of developing under Julian Nagelsmann at Leipzig was too good to resist for a player who genuinely appears to be worth the hype.
The 20-year-old is one of the rare players who always looks comfortable and unhurried on the ball. A versatile attacking midfielder, Szoboszlai has the speed, vision and ability to play the killer final pass, while he is also clinical in front of goal himself. Twelve goals and 18 assists from 40 competitive outings for Salzburg last season give a good indication of what he’s all about, and he followed that up with nine and 11 in just 22 games for the Austrian champions in 2020/21.
What they’re saying
“Dominik can play in a variety of positions. He can play in attacking midfield, as a left-sided attacker or even out wide on the left wing. He can also do the same on the right. In Salzburg he operated as a No.10 a lot, and as a left-sided No.8 .” - Julian Nagelsmann
“I can read the game well out on the pitch and before I receive the ball I know where I want to play it. And free-kicks and set-pieces in general are among my strengths.” – Dominik Szobszlai
Tim Fosu-Mensah
Age: 23
Position: Attacking midfield
From: Manchester United to Bayer Leverkusen
Reasons to be excited
With Santiago Arias and Mitchell Weiser both out injured, and Lars Bender retiring at the end of the season, Leverkusen have moved to fill what has become an unexpected problem position for them. Standing at 6’3”, Fosu-Mensah has the physique to compete with the most robust of attackers, while his speed and attacking instincts mean he should fit perfectly into Peter Bosz’s forward-thinking Leverkusen side.
Having been educated at Ajax and Manchester United, Fosu-Mensah’s technique is first rate, while it is only a lack of regular playing time at the latter that means he has not collected more than his three senior caps for the Netherlands.
What they’re saying
“He’s a technically adept, quick and physically strong defender who can play both at right-back and in the centre. Tim’s still young and can develop further. He’ll help us both now and in the future.” - Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes
“I’m really looking forward to playing for this team and working under Peter Bosz. I’ve talked a lot to him and the conversations I had with Simon Rolfes and Rudi Völler convinced me that there are fantastic opportunities in Leverkusen, both for me and for us as a team. It’ll be very exciting.” - Tim Fosu-Mensah
Joe Scally
Age: 18
Position: Right-back
From: New York City FC to Borussia Mönchengladbach
Reasons to be excited
There’s got to be something seriously special about a player who made his MLS debut at the age of just 15, and who agreed a professional contract with Gladbach just a year later. Still just 18, Gladbach look to have a real gem on their hands in Scally, who hails from the same New York City FC academy that honed Gio Reyna before he turned into a world-beater at Borussia Dortmund.
Scally has been training and playing alongside and against senior pros for a number of years already despite his tender years. He will undoubtedly need a period to adjust to life in Germany and at Gladbach, but the potential is there for the Foals to have a top-quality full-back for years to come.
What they’re saying
“I’m a very physical player. I’m a very fast player who likes to run up and down the wings. I have good technical ability on the ball. My strengths are crossing and obviously defending. My weakness is my shooting, but I want to work on that.” – Joe Scally
“He's an open-minded youngster. He needs to settle in, that's very important. He's come from across the pond, which isn't always easy. We're excited about him, we're excited about his huge talent. We'll give him the time he needs to get used to everything of course, we'll support him so he can make a good start." – Gladbach coach Marco Rose
Related news
Matchday 29 overview
HSV visit Magdeburg on Sunday aiming to keep in the top-three hunt at the same time as leaders St. Pauli host Elversberg looking to bounce back from defeat.
US Soccer Players in Germany: 2023/24 update
How are the likes of Jordan, Joe Scally and Brenden Aaronson getting on in 2023/24?
Matchday 29 highlights!
Bayern beat Cologne, Dortmund won an exciting battle of the Borussias and Serhou Guirassy scored again for Stuttgart...