Farewell after four years
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VfB Stuttgart has presented Grischa Prömel as a new signing. The midfielder is moving to his hometown on a free transfer from TSG Hoffenheim, where his contract expires on June 30th after four years, and will receive a working paper dated until 2029. The 31-year-old is the seventh player that VfB has brought in from Kraichgau since 2011.
Prömel on the transfer: “The desire to move to VfB has been within me for a long time. I was born in Cannstatt, grew up in Esslingen and have always followed VfB over all these years. In a way, it is a dream come true for me and I am happy to be able to wear the ring from the new season onwards. VfB has generated enormous power in recent years and stands for an attractive style of play. It is impressive where the club is now – and it feels like it It’s good to now become part of this path.”
For Prömel it is the third free transfer since he moved from Karlsruher SC to Union Berlin in 2017 – his market value climbed from 600,000 to 7.5 million euros in five years. In 2022 he moved to TSG, where he missed 60 games due to injury. After missing almost the entire 2024/25 season with a torn cruciate ligament, he returned last summer and has not only been a regular player since the second half of the season, but also as dangerous as he was at his best. In 1,746 minutes he was directly involved in nine goals.
VfB sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth says: “Grischa has excellent footballing skills, is extremely ambitious and has gained a lot of important experience in recent years. This combination makes him a very valuable newcomer for us, who also comes from the region and therefore has a high level of identification with VfB.” With his new club, Prömel will compete in the Champions League for the first time – his previous European Cup experience consists of six games in the Conference League.
Prömel is a rather unusual transfer for VfB. Since Sebastian Hoeneß took over as head coach in April 2023, no player older than 28 years old has been signed. Prömel will now be the oldest professional in the Swabians’ 2026/27 squad and will meet an acquaintance in midfield: Angelo Stiller played alongside Prömel ten times for Hoffenheim before moving to Stuttgart for 5.5 million euros in 2023.
