Besar Halimi has finally ended the speculation surrounding his future, and has joined 1. FSV Mainz 05 from Stuttgarter Kickers. It was also announced by Mainz and FSV Frankfurt that he will move on loan to the latter for the 2015/16 campaign.
From Mainz to Brentford and back again, Halimi definitely kept everyone guessing when it came to which club he would be joining.
After he was originally rumoured to have opted for the Carnival club, Brentford came knocking and looked to have secured his signature. However, Halimi rejected them for the Coface Arena side and signed a four-year deal with Martin Schmidt's men.
A stellar season for the hot prospect
The 20-year-old was understandably in high demand after he scored twice and added 13 assists for the Kickers last season. A league high for assists, Halimi had signed a new deal last season to ward off interest from Portuguese giants SL Benfica - further evidence of Mainz's great business.
It is a move that benefits all three parties. Halimi gets regular first-team minutes and at a higher standard than the 3. Liga, which is also what Mainz will reap the rewards from. For Frankfurt, they now have a replacement for Vincenzo Grifo's creativity, who moved on to SC Freiburg.
Halimi, Heidel and Oral have their say
Speaking on the loan, Halimi said that: "playing at home again is a great feeling." Born in Frankfurt, he admitted he had watched FSV "over the years", and added the club has "developed well and gives me a great opportunity".
Thomas Oral, head coach at FSV, also had his say: "Besar Halimi is a talented player. He has the quality for the next step in the 2. Bundesliga and the potential to become a regular."
Christian Heidel said this was the "intermediate step" for Halimi, as they couldn't guarantee him match practice due to the "current competitive nature of the squad". Heidel also confirmed that Mainz were "absolutely convinced" of the player's talents.
Quotes via mainz05.de and fsv-frankfurt.de.