Bundesliga Transfer Roundup | Heidenheim gain new left back, Dynamo Dresden pick up two top flight professionals, Hoffenheim’s Umut Tohumçu loaned to Kiel | OneFootball

It’s been an especially busy second day of the January 2026 Bundesliga transfer window. Get German Football News is pleased to supply a general round up on some of the less-reported-on transactions. German top flight clubs Heidenheim, Hoffenheim, and Freiburg have all sewn up personnel shifts.

Heidenheim finally obtain new left back

Heidenheim have finally addressed the glaring need at left back that has been plaguing them since the beginning of the season. Shortly before the end of the summer transfer window, FCH head coach Frank Schmidt was supposed to gain a reliable new left back in the form of Köln’s Leart Paçarada. The former St. Pauli captain nevertheless quickly succumbed to injury, leaving the Ostalbenschwaben without a player apart from Jonas Föhrenbach to work the position.

The 17th-placed Bundesliga outfit have fixed this by taking Hoffenheim reserve fullback Hennes Behrens on loan until the end of the season. The 20-year-old plays for TSG II in the 3. Liga. Though Behrens certainly isn’t as prolific as his TSG II colleague and new Eintracht Frankfurt signing Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab, the Frankfurt native has looked especially sharp in four third division appearances this year.

Last season, Behrens scored four goals for the reserves in the fourth division. The youngster also made two appearances for the Hoffenheim first team, logging minutes in both the Bundesliga and Europa League. Behrens can also play as a centre-back and higher up in attack on the left flank.

“After to the serious injury to Leart Pacarada on matchday 3, we were looking for additional quality on the left-hand-side,” Heidenheim CEO Holger Sanwald is quoted as saying on the club’s website. “With the loan of Hennes Behrens, we have managed to fill this gap. We’re convinced that Hennes Behrens can help our team over the course of the rest of the season.“

“The loan to FCH gives me the chance to develop further at a high level in the Bundesliga and gain as much playing experience as possible,” Behrens himself added. “I am grateful for the trust placed in me by those responsible and highly motivated to do my part to ensure that we achieve our goal together and secure our place in the league again at the end of this season.”

Heidenheim loan out underutilized Thomas Keller

Sanwald and the FCH front office have also managed to have a productive day in addressing to their squad’s “dead-weight-ledger”. Central defender Thomas Keller (26) has been loaned out to Dynamo Dresden in the 2. Bundesliga. Keller made just 12 Bundesliga appearances over the course of the past three-plus seasons.

Keller did make two Conference League appearances last year and scored a goal against FC Copenhagen in the playoff round. The Munich native, just like Behrens will be tasked with helping his new club avoid relegation. Dresden are fighting the drop in their first year back in the German second division and are currently last-placed in the 2. Bundesliga table. 

“With Thomas, we have gained a robust and strong tackler for our defensive line,” newly installed Dresden sporting director Sören Gonther noted in a club statement. “He brings us experience from games in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Conference League and will be a reinforcement for our defensive unit in the second half of the season with his character and style of play.”

“Dynamo Dresden belongs in the 2. Bundesliga,” Keller noted in his own introductory statement. “And we will do everything we can to make sure that’s the case in the new season.”

Dresden also pick up Freiburg’s Robert Wagner

Freiburg midfielder and former Germany U21 international Robert Wagner is switching loan locales yet again. Just days after St. Pauli returned Wagner to the Breisgauer after the conclusion of last season, Freiburg immediately loaned the Lahr native out to Holstein Kiel. Wagner did make 14 appearances for the Storks, including five starts. 

Wagner started Kiel’s last two 2. Bundesliga fixtures. His last start actually even came against his new loan club on December 20th. Wagner turned in a serviceable performance in Kiel’s victory, but still counted as something of a disappointment with the Storks. As a result, Freiburg are loaning Wagner out for the fourth consecutive time. 

Wagner has made a total of 16 Bundesliga appearances for Freiburg and St. Pauli. Whilst on loan with SpVgg Greuther Fürth in the 2. Bundesliga during the 2023/24 campaign, Wagner scored four goals for the Middle Franconian Kleeblätter. Wagner will be hoping to replicate his second division success in the Saxon capital.

“We are very pleased that Robert has taken this unconventional path and was willing to end his loan in Kiel early so that he can play for us in the second half of the season,” SGD sporting director Gonther noted in his statement on Wagner, “He brings a very intense and physical style of play coupled with excellent technical skills that should help stabilize us defensively.”

Promising German prospect Umut Tohumçu heads to Kiel on loan

In a deal rumored to be in the works for some time, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim have taken the first step towards cutting their own “dead-weight-ledger”. Germany U21 International Umut Tohumçu hasn’t been able to accrue much playing time in Sinsheim due to the competitive situation in the TSG midfield, but still counts as an outstanding prospect. 

The 21-year-old made his Hoffenheim senior debut way back in May 2022 and has since racked up 46 Bundesliga appearances. The young talent remains an active part of the Germany U21 squad and will gain valuable experience on loan with Kiel in the 2. Bundesliga. Tohumçu will, at the very least, be replacing Wagner on Marcel Rapp’s team. 

Rapp once coached Tohumçu during his time with the Hoffenheim U19s and was quick to welcome back his “former player” in a club statement. Kiel sporting director Olaf Rebbe and Tohumçu himself also declared themselves very pleased with the short-term loan arrangement. 

“Umut is a versatile midfielder who combines intensity with goal-scoring threat,” Rebbe noted. “He fits in very well with our sporting philosophy. We are delighted that we were able to convince both Umut and the TSG management of our approach and that he wants to take the next step in his career here in Kiel.”

“Holstein Kiel is an ambitious club with a clear sporting focus,” the player himself added. “I am very much looking forward to this important step for me. My goal is to get to know the team quickly and thus contribute to a successful second half of the season.”

GGFN | Peter Weis