Hansa Rostock brings in promotion specialist Kunze – new hope in the relegation battle!

Hansa Rostock brings in promotion specialist Kunze – new hope in the relegation battle!

Today Hansa Rostock announced an exciting new signing: 27-year-old midfielder Lukas Kunze is leaving Arminia Bielefeld and joining the Hanseatic League on loan until the end of the season. Kunze, who spent a year at Schalke 04 as a youth, brings considerable experience, which he gained in numerous competitive games. At Hansa Rostock he meets an old acquaintance: Amir Shapourzadeh, with whom he already worked successfully in Osnabrück.

Kunze looks back on 117 games in the Regionalliga West for SV Rödinghausen and worked his way up to the 2nd Bundesliga with Osnabrück in the 2021/22 season. In the following season, however, he and his former teammate suffered relegation. Most recently he laced up his boots for Bielefeld, where he drew prominent attention in his 100th game in the 3rd league and made a decisive contribution to their promotion with ten goals. He made a total of 25 appearances in the 2nd Bundesliga, but he only played twice for Bielefeld in the current first half of the season.

A dynamic newcomer

Shapourzadeh describes Kunze as a dynamic player who is strong both defensively and offensively. This could be a great advantage for Hansa Rostock, especially since the team is currently two to three points behind the direct promotion places. Kunze is aware of the challenge and is confident that he can support the team with his commitment and experience.

After his move, Kunze will wear number 13 and start training on Wednesday. Hansa Rostock also gave up two defenders, Dario Gebuhr and Dominik Lanius. Feuhr will be loaned out to regional league side Chemnitzer FC, while Lanius will move to West regional league side 1. FC Bocholt - a decision that makes sense given Lanius' absence this season due to injury.

The advantages of lending

Lukas Kunze's commitment is not only about development, but also in the context of the current transfer periods in professional football. These take place every six months and include the opportunity to borrow, buy or sell players. Transfer fees can vary greatly, and only a few clubs are able to invest three-digit millions in transfers - an example of this would be the Neymar transfer in 2017, which was the most expensive in football history at 222 million euros.

Kunze's loan gives him the chance to get regular match practice again, which is very important for his further development. In the past he has already had positive experiences in league two with Osnabrück and now wants to move on to the next chapter of success with Hansa Rostock.

The Rooks expect a lot from their new signing. Kunze is ready to give his all in his new role and to achieve the goals set together with the team. The coming games will show whether Hansa Rostock will be able to take advantage of their promotion opportunities.

For more details about the change and the background, read Kicker and Northern Courier. To find out more about the transfer market and current trends, take a look Statista.