Official | St. Pauli confirm Siebe van der Heyden as fourth new January arrival | OneFootball

After securing the services of Noah Weißhaupt on loan from Freiburg, James Sands on loan from New York City FC, and Abdoulie Ceesay from Estonia’s Paide Linnameeskond, St. Pauli have now welcomed their fourth January arrival. Belgian centre-back Siebe van der Heyden joined the Kiezkicker on loan from Mallorca yesterday.

The once-capped international moved to La Liga from Union St. Gilloise for a reported €2.7m last summer, yet has been unable to establish himself with his new Balearic club. Van der Heyden logged just 96 minutes for Los Piratas. Over the last six months, his estimated market worth fell from €4m to €1.5m.

Despite this, van der Heyden now counts as the second most valuable defender in head coach Alexander Blessin’s squad behind Swede Eric Smith. With Estonian international Karol Mets out indefinitely, Blessin possesses an acute need for help at the back.

“With the signing of Siebe, we are once again significantly expanding our options in defence,” St. Pauli managing director Andreas Bornemann noted in a club statement. “As a left-footer, he can be used in both central defence and on the wing. He also has the requisite experience at a hight European level to be able to help us immediately.”

GGFN | Peter Weis