Top 10 Bundesliga 2022 January Transfers

German football is known for its organized and demanding way of approaching both attack and defense, with every player on the pitch having a set of specific responsibilities. This organized way of playing football which is the hallmark of German football is so often made possible by the newcomers who are at the heart of everything that happens on the pitch. The January transfer window 2022 wasn’t an exception as clubs tried their best to recruit players who not only help the club’s strength but also shift the level of the league.

is Germany's primary football competition and one of the largest and most entertaining national football leagues in the world. Bundesliga has the most average attendance among other leagues and, it's broadcast on television in over 200 countries.

 Bundesliga was founded in 1962 and, its first season took place in 1963. The first Bundesliga winner was 1. FC Köln. Since then, there have been 57 seasons. Amongst all 18 teams that compete in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich has won the most titles with 29 ones.

Upcoming players tend to thrive in such setups and thereby induce elements to their skillset that further assist in improving the level at which the sport is played in the league.

Everything You Should Know About Top 10 Bundesliga 2022 January Transfers

Counting down the best Bundesliga 2021/22 January transfers, in this article we introduce you to the list of German football transfers who stand out from other transfers to be counted as the top 10 Bundesliga 2022 January transfers. Starting from Bielefeld’s George Bello, we face some of Leverkusen and Wolfsburg’s marquee signings.

10. George Bello

• Club:

  Arminia Bielefeld

• Age:

  20

• Post:

  Left-Back

• Transfer Fee:

  €1.8m

• Nationality:

  United States

The first entry in our list of the

top 10 Bundesliga 2022 January transfers

is Bielefeld’s new American left-back who signed for the Bundesliga outfit from Atlanta United.

Bello joined the

first-team on an HGP contract in January of 2018 and even played a part in the club’s MLS Cup-winning season his first season. During his time at the club, he worked his way into becoming a reliable starter at left-back and even earned his way up to the United States Men’s National Team. Bello’s story in Atlanta is one of success and lays the groundwork for what to expect in the future as Bello is Atlanta's first homegrown export to join a top-five league in Europe.

In a total of 59 Atlanta appearances over the past three seasons, Bello has contributed three goals and five assists, which is an amazing stat for a 20-year-old left-back, that makes the American one to watch during the remainder of the 2021/22 season and one to stand-out in the list of German football transfers.

Atlanta’s vice president and technical director Carlos Bocanegra said in a statement:

“Bello joined our original Academy program in 2016 and soon signed as a homegrown at just 15 years old. He then made his mark at USL level, went on to debut with our first team, and ultimately played his way onto the US men’s national team. For George, his desire was to move to Europe for an opportunity to continue his development and we wish him continued success with Bielefeld.”

9. Dong-jun Lee

• Club:

  Hertha BSC

• Age:

  25

• Post:

  Winger

• Transfer Fee:

  €0.8m

• Nationality:

  South Korea

Born on 1 February 1997 in Busan, Hertha seems to find themselves a bargain in the

January transfer window 2022

by adding the South Korea international to their squad.

Lee played for Busan IPark from 2009-2014, for Soongsil University Seoul from 2015-2016, for Busan IPark from 2017-2021, for Ulsan Hyundai FC from 2021-2022, and has joined Hertha BSC in 2022. In a total of 145 appearances for Busan and Ulsan, Lee has managed to contribute 38 goals and 21 assists.

In January 2020, Lee featured Korea in the AFC Under-23 Championship. Lee scored against Iran and China in the group stages as Korea went on to win the tournament to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games. He made his debut for the South Korea national football team on 25 March 2021 in a friendly against Japan. Overall, the offensive player will probably need some time to get used to Bundesliga playing style. Hertha BSC brought the South Korean international to the Bundesliga from Ulsan Hyundai for €0.8m

"Of course he still has to get used to the whole thing," said Hertha's boss, Korkut, about the newcomer.

"He was able to adapt quickly and also understood complicated forms of play in training. I am confident that he can quickly reach his performance limit.”

Hannover striker Lukas Hinterseer, who played with Lee at Ulsan Hyundai, added:

"He's one of the fastest players I've ever played with. He is dangerous in goals, always looking for the way down.”

“Just as it was a change for me to go to Korea back then, it's definitely the other way around for him now too. But once he gets used to it, I'm sure he'll start scoring goals at Hertha too. He is very ambitious and hardworking.”

8. Hugo Siquet

• Club:

  SC Freiburg

• Age:

  19

• Post:

  Right-Back

• Transfer Fee:

  €4.5m

• Nationality:

  Belgium

Next in our list of the top 10 Bundesliga 2022 January transfers is Freiburg’s new right-back,

, who at age of only 19 made the headlines at Standard Liege before making a €4.5m move to Freiburg.

Born on 9 July 2002 in Marche-en-Famenne, the 19-year-old was a product of Standard Liège’s youth system and was promoted to their first team in 2020. Siquet played for Standard Lüttich from 2019 to 2021, and in a total of 43 appearances has managed to provide 7 assists for his teammates.

His performances for the Belgian club attracted attention from Thomas Frank’s side. However, the player rejected an approach made by Brentford in the 2021 summer window before making a January move to Freiburg.

Responding to his decision to reject Brentford, Siquet said:

“There were a lot of advantages to Brentford, but I didn’t feel ready to jump straight into the Premier League at the time. That’s a different world.

"Standard's only goal was to get the money as quickly as possible,"

said Siquet as he said he wasn't ready for a transfer last summer.

"The situation in winter was very different, it had to be done even if I was not ready. I did not go to the management saying that I wanted to leave, but it was the moment".

“Freiburg had been interested for some time. It is a very stable club. The coach [Christian Streich] has been here for more than ten years. Financially and sportingly, it was interesting, life is quiet here and there is less pressure.

“The ideal conditions to become a better footballer. And of course, the Bundesliga is one of the best leagues in the world.”

7. Max Kruse

• Club:

  VfL Wolfsburg

• Age:

  33

• Post:

  Forward

• Transfer Fee:

  €5m

• Nationality:

  Germany

A surprising entry in the

list of German football transfers

the last January was the return of Max Kruse from Union Berlin to VfL Wolfsburg for a €5m fee.

Following his successful spell with St. Pauli, Kruse was transferred to Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in the summer of 2012 after starting his senior career at Werder Bremen. He made his competitive debut for his new club on 18 August 2012 in a DFB-Pokal match against Victoria Hamburg, which ended in a 2–1 victory as Kruse scored the opening goal and provided the assist for Sebastian Freis's winner.

On 10 May 2015, VfL Wolfsburg signed Kruse on a four-year deal, after activating his release clause of €12 million and after spells at Werder Bremen, Fenerbahçe, and Union Berlin, he returned to Wolfsburg last January on a one-and-a-half-year deal. Max Kruse stunned the Union Berlin by asking for a transfer to his former team Wolfsburg at the other end of the Bundesliga, with the forward set to rejoin Wolfsburg on the last day of the winter transfer window. The former Germany striker asked Union fans on Sunday for their

“understanding for my decision to accept an offer that is long-term and highly paid.”

The veteran has made a total of 293 Bundesliga appearances and was able to contribute 91 goals and 78 assists. Kruse is joining a team that is just two points above the relegation zone after failing to win any of its last 11 games across all competitions. Kruse played for Wolfsburg for the 2015-16 season, then for Werder Bremen under the current Wolfsburg coach Florian Kohfeldt.

6. Marc-Oliver Kempf

• Club:

  Hertha BSC

• Age:

  27

• Post:

  Centre-Back

• Transfer Fee:

  €0.5m

• Nationality:

  Germany

Next in our list of the

top 10 Bundesliga 2022 January transfers

is the former Eintracht and Stuttgart centre-back, Marc-Oliver Kempf. In a total of 113 Bundesliga appearances, the centre-back has contributed 9 goals and 2 assists.

In this season, Marc-Oliver Kempf has scored three goals into the opponent‘s net. In 13 of the previous 15 games of the season, he was in the starting line-up. Kempf's contract with Stuttgart was due to expire in the summer, and he has been heavily linked with

for a while until the centre-back penned a contract until 2026 with the German capital club.

Kempf certainly will add much-needed steel to the Hertha backline which needs leadership. The German central defender is at a good age (27) to grow as a player and a leader for the winless this year Berliners. Adding to the fact, they have weakened a direct relegation rival for only half a million euros is an even bigger steal. However, Hertha has conceded 11 goals in Kempf's three appearances so far.

“I’ve been here a few weeks now and we haven't won a game yet. It makes me sick,” Kempf said. “Everyone here has to be annoyed enough to work their (butts) off and take the three points home. Everyone has to understand that and not just stroll around airy-fairy and get beaten 4-1 again."

To say Hertha is yet to win in 2022 is factually correct, but doesn’t really provide the requisite detail of just how bad they’ve been. According to Ransfermarkt, Hertha are the least successful team in all of Europe’s top five leagues over that period, with just two points and a goal difference of -18. In the whole of Tayfun Korkut’s time in charge, he took over in late November, the team have won two, lost eight, and drawn three.

5. Kevin Paredes

• Club:

  VfL Wolfsburg

• Age:

  18

• Post:

  Left-Back

• Transfer Fee:

  €6.6m

• Nationality:

  United States

Bundesliga 2021/22 January transfers

were at most importance for American soccer fans as it saw two talented full-backs transferring to the German first-tier league.

D.C. United completed the club-record transfer of homegrown defender

to German Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg. The Black-and-Red receive a hefty €6.6m transfer fee, additional performance-based add-ons, and a sell-on fee on any future transfer of Paredes by Wolfsburg. To help alleviate Paredes' departure, D.C. United traded for left-back Brad Smith earlier this week. They sent $750,000 in General Allocation Money to Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for the Australian international.

A US youth international who also holds a Dominican Republic passport, Paredes made 41 appearances for D.C. United across two seasons. The 18-year-old mostly played as a left-wingback last year.  Paredes is quick and dynamic and could help fill the void left by the injured Lukas Nmecha. The German national team striker has predominantly played on the wing for the Wolves this season. Paredes could also put pressure on Jérôme Roussillon, who has operated as a wing-back in Wolfsburg's 3-4-2-1 formation.

That formation could be perfect for Paredes. Paredes is more dynamic further up the field between a full-back and a winger and could benefit from Wolfsburg's tactical orientation. That tactical orientation is unlikely to change even if Kohfeldt is fired after the Fürth game. The club will likely look to bring in a manager who can finally build on what former head coach Oliver Glasner left behind before heading to Eintracht Frankfurt.

"Despite his age he's already gained some experience at first-team level, and as well as the left wing he can also play in the center,''

Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schafer said.

"In addition, he brings pace and dynamism, he's very agile and nimble on the ball, covers a lot of ground on the pitch and has a really good mentality.''

4. Marvin Friedrich

• Club:

  Borussia Mönchengladbach

• Age:

  26

• Post:

  Centre-Back

• Transfer Fee:

  €5.5m

• Nationality:

  Germany

Next in our list of the top 10 Bundesliga 2022 January transfers is the former Schalke 04 and Union Berlin defender, Marvin Friedrich. Friedrich joined the Schalke 04's youth academy. He made his Bundesliga debut on 13 September 2014 against Borussia

in a 4–1 away defeat.

In January 2018, Friedrich moved to 2. Bundesliga side Union Berlin on a 2+1⁄2-year contract until summer 2021. Augsburg secured an option to re-sign Friedrich[4] and, in May 2019, it was announced that FC Augsburg had redeemed the buy-back option for €1 million only to sell him back to Union Berlin for a €2.5m fee for financial aspects.

Friedrich is a versatile defender, Friedrich is primarily deployed in the defensive positions of centre-back and right-back or left-back, and he is technically and physically similar to Benedikt Höwedes. Friedrich's strength, running, and tactical intelligence on the football pitch, are just some of his qualities. The 26-year-old was in the starting line-up in all the previous 18 games of the season. Of these, he won seven games with his club. So far, his pass success rate is 83.35 percent. His tackle success rate is 53.07 percent.

The 1.93m-tall defender has scored one own goal. Marvin Friedrich has played 90 matches in the course of his career in the Bundesliga. Of these, he has won 32. He has netted seven goals throughout his appointments in the Bundesliga. So far, he has completed five matches with his present squad.

Frederick, who has been out of action since the summer of working for the Union, is set to close the long gap left by national player Matthias Ginder on the back of the Gladbach for the new season. “We are very pleased to have succeeded in bringing to Borussia a central defender who has made a great track in Berlin over the past few years and has grown into one of the best German defenders in the league,” said Sports Director Max Eberl.

3. Jonas Wind

• Club:

  VfL Wolfsburg

• Age:

  23

• Post:

  Forward

• Transfer Fee:

  €12m

• Nationality:

  Denmark

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Edin Dzeko, Bas Dost, and Wout Weghorst at Wolfsburg, Wind has scored 10 goals earlier this season for

, including four in five UEFA Conference League outings, before making a €12m move to Wolfsburg.

Wind began his career in Avedøre IF in 2007 and moved to Rosenhøj Boldklub in 2010, where he was named youth player of the year in 2011. At only twelve years old, he was the youngest player ever to receive this honor. A graduate of the Copenhagen youth academy, Wind scored 13 goals in 17 outings in the 2016/17 U19 Boys League. He made his debut in the Danish Superliga at the age of 19, before becoming a first-team staple during the 2018/19 season. scoring 10 times across his first two domestic campaigns with the pros, the 1.9-meter striker tallied 11 goals in 18 league games in 2020/21.

The Danish striker, who was part of the Denmark team that reached the UEFA Euro 2020 semi-finals, started his Bundesliga career in style as he opened his goalscoring account against Hoffenheim, on only his third appearance in a Wolfsburg shirt.

Despite his goalscoring pedigree, Wind doesn't quite fit the No.9 mold. Strong in the air and physical, the Dane has a habit of dropping deep from a starting striker role to get involved in the build-up.

Wind leaves Copenhagen as one of the absolute fan favorites, and it is not hard to understand why. At the age of 22, he has scored 36 goals in just 88 matches, he has scored derby winners, played European football, and of course won the Danish championship with the club. The great performances made him a regular on the national team even, a feat not often accomplished by Superliga players.

2. Sardar Azmoun

• Club:

  Bayer Leverkusen

• Age:

  27

• Post:

  Striker

• Transfer Fee:

  €2.5 m

• Nationality:

  Iran

There were a lot of speculations about Sardar Azmoun’s future, and big clubs like Juventus, Milan, and Roma had shown interest in Zenit St Petersburg’s Iranian striker. However, the Iranian opted to join Bayer Leverkusen despite all the opportunities that he had.

Before joining Leverkusen,

was an important part of Zenit, and Iran’s squad having 60 senior caps and scoring 39 goals for his national team, and for his club, he scored ten goals and provided four assists in 21 games this season, proving himself as a high-quality striker to many big European clubs.

He made his Iran national team debut in 2014 when he was 19 years old. He has played in the 2015 and 2019 AFC Asian Cups as well as the 2018 FIFA World Cup with Team Melli. He has 34 goals in 52 games as of April 2021.

Azmoun is the second most expensive Iranian player of all time, behind Alireza Jahanbakhsh. With four goals in a single UEFA Champions League season, he is both the youngest Iranian to score in a Champions League game and the Iranian record holder for most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League season.

"

We're delighted to have completed this transfer,"

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a club statement.

"Sardar Azmoun has been one of Russian football's top goalscorers for several years. He's been champion three years in a row there with Zenit, regularly played in the Champions League, and shown himself to be of international class at the highest level. Our attack gains extra quality with him. Sardar will make our attack even more unpredictable and powerful."

At first glance, Azmoun is a clear-cut number 9, and in that position, Leverkusen has Patrik Schick, one of the most productive strikers in European football. But Schick has been heavily linked with a move to Borussia Dortmund, where he could replace Erling Haaland. Azmoun could be an investment for the future, a possible replacement for the Czech goalscoring machine, Schick.

Although most commonly employed as a lone-striker in a 3-4-3 system by Zenit this season, Azmoun has also played with a Schick type of number 9 in Artem Dzyuba this year. Azmoun can add more tactical depth to Gerardo Seoane's side at Leverkusen. The Swiss head coach previously preferred a 4-4-2 system at Young Boys rather than the 4-2-3-1 system used by Leverkusen this year. Azmoun will allow Leverkusen more tactical flexibility, which makes him a fantastic depth signing for the club.

1. Ricardo Pepi

• Club:

  FC Augsburg

• Age:

  19

• Post:

  Striker

• Transfer Fee:

  €16.3m

• Nationality:

  United States

On top of our list of the

top 10 Bundesliga 2022 January transfers

is U.S.M.N.T’s wonderkid, Ricardo Pepi, who joined the Bundesliga side, Augsburg, with an €18 million contract at the age of 18, leaving FC Dallas where he had proved himself as an important part of the team in a situation that big European clubs like Liverpool and Bayern Munich had shown interest in signing him.

The 19-year-old Pepi, who was arguably the brightest prospect in Major League Soccer after scoring 13 goals for FC Dallas last season, surprised many in early January when he switched to Augsburg, a relatively unspectacular club that has predominantly finished in the bottom half of the Bundesliga since it first earned promotion in 2011. The player had been close to joining Wolfsburg, which qualified for the Champions League last season, while Liverpool and Manchester United were also reportedly interested.

This season is proving to be another slog for the Bavarian club. Markus Weinzierl's team has only won one of its last eight league games, and it currently occupies the relegation playoff place with 11 games remaining.

Pepi landed at Augsburg, which broke its transfer record to sign the then-18-year-old for more than 13 million euros plus potential add-ons, the highest amount for a transfer of a homegrown American player from MLS.

The forward has three goals in nine appearances for the

Pepi is yet to score in five league appearances, one draw, and four defeats. But he's not worried about his scoring drought. Whether the ball falls to his feet with a bit of luck in the area, or one of Pepi’s runs between the central defenders results in him alone with the keeper, fans rise to their feet anticipating the net to bulge. Having a multitude of ways to find yourself in these situations is what leads to goals in abundance. Let’s look at three goals from the 2021 MLS season which highlight the strengths of Pepi and show the variety of ways the teenager can score.

Ricardo Pepi is a threat when he enters the penalty area, and unfortunately for defenders, he threatens your backline in many ways and finds himself with the ball in the penalty area quite often. Through dribbling, relentless runs behind the defense, and a predatory instinct, any club which purchases Pepi is buying a goal scorer who has proven he’ll succeed at every level he’s been at.

However, Pepi is more than a goal scorer. In the 84th percentile among MLS forwards, the young forward impresses with his tackling and interceptions as well, making him even more of a defender even when Dallas is out of possession.

"

I came to this team for a reason and that's for my development and obviously it was a big transfer,"

Pepi said.

"But now, you know, being in the team, I feel more comfortable every week that passes by. So, being patient, but also being really anxious to score my first goal."

Now that you read our list of the top 10 Bundesliga 2022 January transfers, you might as well like to read these articles by Sportmob.

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