Most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022

The January transfer window came to an end at the end of the month and we got to see so many talented players switch clubs in the winter. A lot of money was transferred across countries as clubs paid top money to sign their best options.

While the winter transfer window is usually less historic than the summer transfer window, especially considering how spectacular Paris Saint-Germain’s transfer window was during the summer of 2021, it is still quite an interesting period as we get to see top teams battle it out to sign players whose contracts are expiring or are too good to be left to the summer. But which club went on to spend the most in the month that passed? Who got to be amongst the

most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022

?

If you too are eager to find out more about the Bundesliga winter 2022 most expensive signings, then read on as we provide detailed information about these quite costly transfers and get to see how these arrivals have fared since joining their new clubs.

Most expensive Bundesliga transfers of winter

From young American talents joining German teams, to Sardar Azmoun finally switching clubs after years of being linked to several top European sides, there is a lot to talk about regarding the most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022. So without further ado, here is everything you need to know about these new arrivals and their respective careers so far.

Andras Schafer

• Transfer: Dunajska Streda – Union Berlin

• Transfer fee: €1M

Not all football clubs have the resources to spend lavishly on signing new players and they actually don’t have to do so in order to bring in new talents.

were able to acquire the services of quite a talented midfielder by spending exactly a million Euros to sign him. Andras Schafer is that footballer’s name and he has joined the German side from Dunajska Streda, while his transfer fee has made him one of the

most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022

.

Schafer started his career at MTK Budapest after rising up the ranks at the club’s youth academy. He went on to join Genoa for €1 million back in 2019 and spent a couple of seasons on loan at Chievo and Dunajska Streda, before finally joining Slovakian side in 2020. It took Schafer a year to convince Union Berlin to acquire his signature on 21 January. The 22-year-old central midfielder could prove to be a great addition to the German club’s squad.

The Iron Ones’ rise to the top has been incredible in recent seasons as they are currently fighting for a place in next season’s Europa League or even Champions League if they play their cards right and the top teams slip up a bit more. Being on the list of 2022 Bundesliga winter transfer window most expensive signings, Andras Schafer is yet to make his debut for his new side. The Hungarian’s incredible versatility will surely come in handy and Union Berlin’s manager Urs Fischer can make good use of his versatile addition.

George Bello

• Transfer: Atlanta – Arminia Bielefeld

• Transfer fee: €1.8M

Winter arrivals usually tend to be free transfers or those whose contracts are set to expire in the summer and are free to sign a pre-contract with any club they desire. However, there are also those who simply can’t wait to join a new club and that is why their respective teams get as much money as they can from the buyers and let go of the player in the end. George Bello, on the other hand, was neither of these arrivals as

spent nearly €2 million to sign the American from Atlanta United to make him one of the

most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022

. Bello is one in a long line of American footballers aspiring to make it in Europe.

The 21-year-old left-back is quite a talented youngster and can prove to be an effective addition to the club’s squad in the coming weeks. Arminia Bielefeld, who currently sit 15th on the league table with 22 points in 21 games, will have to put everything they have got in order to survive the relegation zone. While they still have a game in hand, everything is on the line for the German club. Of course while many other teams have conceded more than 40 goals throughout the season, Arminia have only conceded 27, which is one of the best track records so far.

George Bello’s addition to their left flank will certainly further solidify the backline, while also boosting their chances of successful crosses in the frontlines. The former Atlanta defender is yet to make an impact at his new club and will have to wait a while to finally earn his place amongst the starting-XI.

Sven Michel

• Transfer: SC Paderborn – Union Berlin

• Transfer fee: €2.5M

If you thought that Andras Schafer was going to be the only Union Berlin signing on the list of most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022, then think again as Sven Michel is on the list as well. 31-year-old Michel was a prolific center-forward in the 2. Bundesliga with 14 goals and 7 assists in 19 appearances and that is exactly why Union Berlin have signed him from

for €2.5 million.

The German striker started his senior career at Niederschelden, before spending some time at Borussia Monchengladbach’s second team, Energie Cottbus and SC Paderbon. It is obvious that the Iron Ones are aiming to boost their goal-scoring stats as they have scored 29 goals in 21 games this season. Having completed one of the

most expensive Bundesliga transfers of winter 2022

, Mihel is expected to quickly make an impact at his new club, but the striker is yet to prove his worth.

Of course he still hasn’t gotten a chance to prove himself as his debut only lasted 32 minutes. We will have to wait and see if Union Berlin’s recent arrivals can boost their stats in the league against their tough rivals or not.

Sardar Azmoun

• Transfer: Zenit St. Petersburg – Bayer Leverkusen

• Transfer fee: €2.5M

Have you ever seen a player get linked to dozens of clubs throughout his career while he joins none of them in the end? That is exactly the case with Sardar Azmoun. The Iranian striker is one of the most lethal center-forwards in his nation’s history and has played for several top club in the world. Yet, his transfer saga to clubs such as Liverpool had certainly tired his supporters throughout the years. Finally, however, the news of his transfer became reality as he joined

for €2.5 million, which is exactly one tenth of his actual market value.

Azmoun rose to prominence at Rubin Kazan’s youth academy and got to spend some time on loan at Rostov before joining the Russian club on a permanent deal in 2016. He returned to Rubin Kazan on a free transfer deal only a year later and it took him two years to make his first big-money move to join

for €12 million in 2019. Even though Bayer Leverkusen have not paid anything near his full market value, Azmoun still managed to get on the list of most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022 with his transfer fee.

The 27-year-old center-forward was no prime Cristiano Ronaldo in the Russian Premier Liga, but he was still an effective striker with 7 goals and 4 assists in 15 league appearances this season. He also has two goals in 5 Champions League games in the current campaign and he might get to further boost his stats in the next season if Leverkusen make it to next season’s UCL.

While Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have almost always been the two hierarchies of the German top-flight, Leverkusen are relentlessly chasing both clubs with 41 points in 22 games this campaign. Azmoun’s arrival could potentially improve their goal-scoring stats and that is exactly what they want right now.

Hugo Siquet

• Transfer: Standard Liege – SC Freiburg

• Transfer fee: €4.5M

Next on the list of

Bundesliga winter 2022 most expensive signings

is Hugo Siquet, who has joined SC

from Standard Liege for €4.5 million. Siquet is only 19 years old and has got immense potential hidden inside. The youngster gained prominence after joining Standard Liege’s youth academy and got to earn himself a promotion to the club’s senior side in late 2020. It only took the young right-back a year to prove himself to the world and earn his first big move to a team in Europe’s top-5 leagues.

Siquet made a total of 47 appearances for his former side, during which he provided 9 assists as well to showcase his incredible prowess in attack. Of course it will take some time for the Belgian defender to be ready for the German top-flight, which is why he is currently training with Freiburg’s second team instead, until he gains enough experience to be called up to the big stage.

As one of the most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022, the former Standard Liege right-back has made 2 appearances for Freiburg’s second team, yet he has not managed to make an impact as much as he might have wanted. Freiburg’s senior team is currently sitting fifth on the league table behind RB Leipizig and Bayer Leverkusen and they are surely motivated enough to earn a spot in next season’s Champions League.

Max Kruse

• Transfer: Union Berlin – VfL Wolfsburg

• Transfer fee: €5M

33-year-old Max Kruse is certainly not an investment for the future and is rather a desperate attempt to push Wolfsburg up the league table. Wolfsburg have not been their usual selves lately and are currently roaming the bottom half of the table with 27 points in 22 games. Even Furth, who are at the bottom of the league table, have scored almost as many goals as Wolfsburg this season. While Floria Kohfeldt’s defense is considered to be solid enough, his strikers have been shooting blanks throughout the season and Max Kruse is here to remedy that.

The German striker, who is now one of the most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022, has played for several clubs throughout his career, including

themselves. He started his career at Werder Bremen and went on to play for other German sides such as FC Saint Pauli, Freiburg, Borussia Monchengladbach, Wolfsburg and Union Berlin. Kruse’s current performance in the Bundesliga has led to him scoring 6 goals and providing 5 assists in 18 appearances in the league alone.

The immensely versatile forward is capable of playing in a variety of positions on the pitch and has already managed to make an impact upon his return to Wolfsburg by scoring a goal in his second game for the Wolves this season, which actually inspired them to a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Wolfsburg fans are certainly happy to see Kruse back in his top form and are eager to see if his arrival can inspire them to achieve a higher finish this season.

We will have to wait and see if the German striker can live up to the billing and prove that he is well worth being on the list of

2022 Bundesliga winter transfer window most expensive signings

.

Marvin Friedrich

• Transfer: Union Berlin – Borussia Monchengladbach

• Transfer fee: €5.5M

26-year-old center-back Marvin Friedrich has joined

from Union Berlin for €5.5 million to join the most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022. Friedrich started his senior career at FC Schalke back in 2014 and quickly joined FC Augsburg in 2016. He went on to switch clubs once again by joining Union Berlin two years later. But the young center-back’s career saw him return to Augsburg for yet another short-lived spell, after which he returned to Union Berlin for €2.5 million in 2019.

The young defender was a key part of Union Berlin’s main squad before switching clubs to join Monchengladbach in the January transfer window. His current side are struggling to keep a clean sheet as they have conceded a massive number of 40 goals in 22 league games this season. That is why Friedrich’s arrival is quite vital for the German side. While they have a couple of points in the clear from the relegation zone, two or three bad results are enough to lead them to trouble.

Of course Friedrich has already made five appearances for Adi Hutter’s side, yet he has not managed to single-handedly keep a clean sheet at the back because of all the collective effort that it needs. Only time will tell if the former Union Berlin center-back can rightfully earn his place amongst the Bundesliga winter 2022 most expensive signings. For the time being, however, he has had to live with three defeats, a draw and a win in his first five games at his new club.

Kevin Paredes

• Transfer: DC United – Wolfsburg

• Transfer fee: €6.5M

Max Kruse is not the only signing Wolfsburg have made in the month that passed. It seems that they have spent quite a lot to boost their stats in the league. The Wolves have also acquired Kevin Paredes from DC United for €6.5 million, adding to the long list of US exports in the German top-flight. The 18-year-old winger is certainly one a talented youngster with immense potential to realize in the coming years.

His actual market value is believed to be around €4 million and Wolfsburg supporters are eagerly awaiting to see how his career is going to pan out from here on out. Paredes started his senior career at DC United after spending some time on loan at Loudoun United and went on to make a total of 45 appearances in the United States, during which he managed to score 3 goals while providing 5 assists in the process.

Paredes is undoubtedly one for the future as Wolfsburg might have other plans for the young and aspiring winger, rather than immediately deploying him on their left flank. He is versatile enough to be deployed on either side of the pitch and that is one of his best traits so far. Being on the list of 2022 Bundesliga winter transfer window most expensive signings, Kevin Paredes has two options right now.

He can either stay at the club to make use of whatever time he gets, or he can choose to spend some time on loan at other clubs before getting the chance to become a regular starter for the Wolves. Who knows? Perhaps the young winger might even impress his peers so much that he gets a chance to be amongst the starting-XI right away.

Jonas Wind

• Transfer: FC Copenhagen – Wolfsburg

• Transfer fee: €12M

Wolfsburg’s list of costly arrivals does not end with Kevin Paredes either as the Wolves have paid around €12 million to acquire Jonas Wind from FC Copenhagen. While Max Kruse is a temporary solution to Wolfsburg’s goal-scoring issues, Jonas Wind is more of an investment for the future. He is at the right age to earn his place amongst the starting-XI, while also improving his game to become an icon of the club in the coming years. The 23-year-old Danish striker rose up the ranks at Copenhagen’s youth academy to join their senior side in 2018.

He went on to make a total of 113 appearances for the Danish club, during which he managed to score 46 goals while providing 27 assists. These impressive stats were more than enough to earn him a place on the list of most promising strikers in the world. That is why Wolfsburg have invested in the aspiring center-forward as they know he can either bring more success to the club, or he can later be sold with a massive price tag.

For the time being, however, the Denmark international is yet to make an impact at his new club as he has not managed to score a goal in his first two appearances for Wolfsburg. Of course we all know that it will take a lot more than two games for a regular footballer to adapt to the new environment and that is why the club’s supporters are eagerly waiting to see when Wind can finally live up to the billing by realizing his full potential.

Ricardo Pepi

• Transfer: FC Dallas – FC Augsburg

• Transfer fee: €16.5M

Next on the list of most expensive Bundesliga signings of winter 2022 is Ricardo Pepi, who has joined Augsburg from FC Dallas for a reported fee of €16 million. It is quite impressive to see how many American youngsters are moving to Germany in order to play in the Bundesliga. The 19-year-old center-forward was born and raised in El Paso, Texas in the United States and has definitely got the potential to become a lethal striker in the coming years.

Pepi has already managed to attract some attention by scoring 27 goals and providing 6 assists in a total of 73 appearances across all competitions in the United States. Seeing how many North American footballers are setting foot onto the big stage, Augsburg have jumped on the bandwagon to sign an American talent and nurture his hidden potential long enough to see him become a world-class footballer in the near future.

The 18-year-old aspiring center-forward has already made a total of 4 appearances for Augsburg, yet he has graced the pitch as a late substitution in most of those appearances. Pepi is yet to make an impact at his new club as Augsburg are struggling to keep a clean sheet and could be in deep trouble if their current form continues for long enough.

They are currently roaming the relegation zone with 22 points from their last 22 league games and it is up for debate whether they can save themselves from having to fight for their stay in the Bundesliga in the play-offs.

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