David Raum, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim: On the left, Hansi Flick tried a few things in the post-Jonas-Hector period, and now he seems to have found a permanent solution: Raum is fast, defensively and offensively very strong and also hits excellent crosses: 13 direct goals (plus scored three more himself) is an outstanding value for a full-back.
Ansgar Knauff, Eintracht Frankfurt: The fact that Borussia Dortmund had no use for this player is actually inconceivable when you saw him show off in Frankfurt after the loan from the 20th matchday – especially on the European stage. The right winger brought even more speed into the game of the Glasner-Elf, was a top reinforcement right away and scored decisive goals. At BVB he had previously only played 109 minutes and was even deported to the 3rd division.
Christopher Nkunku, RB Leipzig: The French attacker is a newcomer at best in the Équipe Tricolore, where coach Didier Deschamps stubbornly ignored him for a long time. The long period of disregard was astonishing because the fast and tricky striker not only scores goals on an assembly line (20 this season), but also has an outstanding eye for his neighbors: 15 assists now make him even for the very rich clubs like Paris St. Germain interesting.
Anthony Modeste, 1. FC Cologne: Fast over the wing and then the ball in the middle in the direction of Modeste – Cologne’s recipe for success sounds very simple, and yet hardly any opponent has managed to defend it effectively. Modeste scored 19 of the 51 FC goals, there is no greater dependence of a club on a player in the Bundesliga – but the move into European business shows that the Cologne team did everything right with their focus on Modeste.
Sebastian Polter (VfL Bochum): Already found unfit by Union Berlin and deported to Fortuna Sittard – not everyone in Bochum immediately understood why VfL Polter dug up at the Dutch provincial club. But the long centre-forward proved to be an extremely sensible signing not only because of Simon Zoller’s long-term injury. His ten goals contributed to VfL’s great season, as did his ability to tie balls up front, giving his team time to breathe and move up.
Jonathan Burkardt, 1. FSV Mainz 05: Hansi Flick is still waiting for Burkardt’s A-Elf debut, but it’s only a matter of time: In the U-21 national team, Burkardt’s quota of nine goals in 18 games speaks for itself. The center forward, who is as strong as he is fast, is a diamond in the rough who has missed a lot this season and still managed to score eleven goals and three assists. His path to a top club seems predetermined, in Dortmund he is considered a possible successor to Erling Haaland.