Second weakest defense
©IMAGO
After the 1:3 against 1. FC Kaiserslautern at the weekend, Dynamo Dresden fell to a relegation place in the 2nd Bundesliga. In order not to have to go back to the 3rd league just one year after promotion, the Saxons want to upgrade in the winter. According to “Bild”, three defensive players are associated with Dynamo, two of them already know the club.
Dresden is in 17th place in the 2nd Bundesliga after 15 match days and has the second weakest defense in the league with 29 goals conceded. With Andi Hoti (22) from 1. FC Magdeburg and Maximilian Bauer (25) from FC Augsburg, there are reportedly two central defenders on coach Thomas Stamm’s list. In addition, right-back Jonas Sterner (23) from Hannover 96 is being traded to the Saxons.
Hoti and Sterner were part of Dresden’s promotion team last season after coming on loan from 1. FC Magdeburg and Holstein Kiel respectively. Sterner shone on the right wing with ten scorers in 32 games, Hoti stabilized the defense center from the second half of the season onwards. Both were supposed to move to the Elbe in the summer, but a transfer did not take place – they are currently excluded from their clubs. Hoti’s last appearance for the FCM was at the beginning of September; Sterner has only appeared on the pitch once for Hannover.
At Hoti, the table situation makes a transfer difficult. Magdeburg is tied with Dynamo in 18th place and would be reluctant to hand over the central defender to a direct competitor. On the other hand, according to the “Bild” report, the Kosovar’s contract ends in the summer, so it would be the last chance for a transfer. Hoti plays no role under the new coach Patrik Sander.
The same applies to Bauer, who wasn’t even part of the Bundesliga squad at FCA this season and only played as a secondary representative in the Bavarian Regional League. The 25-year-old central defender was loaned out to 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the second half of last season and didn’t get a chance with the professionals after his return. His contract runs until 2027.
A replacement is also expected to come in for the injured goalkeeper Lennart Grill, although no specific names were mentioned. In the summer, the Saxons invested 900,000 euros in new professionals – only three clubs paid less. However, since Dynamo only achieved 600,000 euros in sales, the promoted club is one of four second division teams with a negative transfer balance.