Having just avoided the drop last season, SC Freiburg will be looking to avoid the relegation struggle this time around. The sale of Turkish defender Caglar Söyüncü to Leicester City in the EPL has given the Black Forest outfit plenty of money to spend, but they have decided to keep things tight with some sensible new buys.
Luca Waldschmidt (Hamburger SV, €5m)
Another exile from relegated Hamburger SV, striker Luca Waldschmidt makes his way to the south-west of Germany for the princely sum of five million Euro. A product of the academy at Eintracht Frankfurt, Waldschmidt moved to Hamburg in the summer of 2016, but would score just three goals in 38 league and cup outings for Die Rothosen.
While this was far from a stellar return for a young player that had billed as a goalscorer, for every HSV fan, one of these three goals was more than worth its weight in gold. On the final day of the 2016/17 season, Waldschmidt came on as an 86th minute substitute in a tight relegation battle against Wolfsburg. Just two minutes later, he scored winning goal that pulled Hamburg clear of the dreaded playoff spot.
Some may argue that the price tag is far too high for a player that has done so little, but the 22 year old certainly has the potential. He has been a fixture in the German youth setup from Under-16 all the way through to Under-21 level, scoring seven goals in fifteen outings.
Dominique Heintz (1. FC Köln, €3m)
Like Hamburg, 1. FC Köln were victims of the sinking ship syndrome following their drop down to the 2. Bundesliga. One of those who makes the leap is central defender Dominique Heintz, with Freiburg forking out three million Euro for his services.
In his three years with the cathedral city club, Heintz quickly established himself as a regular and highly dependable centre-back. In fact, one could say that the 24 year old was part of the furniture, racking up close to a hundred league and cup appearances.
A product of the youth system at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Heintz had made his way through to the German Under-21 squad, but was unable to make the final leap. While not international class, he will be a solid addition to a Freiburg unit that had one of the Bundesliga's leakiest defences last season.
Jérôme Gondorf (Werder Bremen, €1.3m)
One of five footballing brothers, Jérôme Gondorf can best be described as the archetypal journeyman made good. Having started out at youth level with local side TSV Palmbach, he was a fixture in the lower leagues before joining third tier Stuttgarter Kickers in 2010.
After three years in Stuttgart, the versatile midfielder moved to SV Darmstadt 98, where he was part of the successful squad that made the leap from the 3. Liga all the way to the Bundesliga. Building on that success, a player who had previously flitted between clubs at the lower rungs of German football had acquired a price tag. In the summer of 2017, Gondorf was signed by Werder Bremen for 1.2 million Euro.
Gondorf quickly became a regular at the Weserstadion, playing 21 matches in a number of midfield roles. Hard-working, flexible and with no delusions of grandeur, the 30 year old is a player who fits perfectly with the unpretentious philosophy of Freiburg coach Christian Streich.
For more Bundesliga fun stuff, check out my Little Bundesliga Book project. Copies of the 2016 pocket book are still available, with the aim of raising funds for a new edition at the end of this season.
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