TSG 1899 Hoffenheim today announced that Fabian Schär has signed a four-year deal with the German club, joining from Switzerland's FC Basel for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around €5 million.
Chelsea and Arsenal were both reportedly interested in the 23-year-old defender, as were West Ham. However, Hoffenheim, who finished eighth in the Bundesliga last term, managed to do the deal despite being unable to offer European football.
What they will offer though, is a chance for Schär to play in one of Europe's top leagues week-in week-out, with him sure to be a starter in the side.
Hoffenheim are known for their exciting football and for playing in entertaining matches due to their team being so top heavy. With attackers like Roberto Firmino and Kevin Volland, they score lots of goals, but their weak defence also leaks plenty, which has limited their success in recent seasons despite them possessing a talented squad.
The signing of Schär is an indication that manager Markus Gisdol is looking to strengthen at the back in order to get the club into Europe. The Swiss international is sure to be just the first of many players brought in to close these defensive gaps.
Despite his young age, Schär is an experienced footballer who has played in the UEFA Champions League with FC Basel and at a World Cup with Switzerland, travelling to Brazil with them last summer. His performances there were promising, especially given that they came in a central-defensive partnership with the error-prone Arsenal-reject, Johan Djourou. So far, Schär has earned 12 caps for his country and scored five goals already.
In the Champions League this season, he certainly impressed too as he was a key part of the Basel side that progressed from a group containing Liverpool and Real Madrid. The interest gained from the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea as a result of his European showings perfectly exhibits just how well he performed. He made a total of 113 appearances for the Swiss club over the course of three years.
Schär is Hoffenheim's second signing of the summer, following the arrival of midfielder Jonathan Schmid from Freiburg earlier this week.