On Friday, VfL Bochum announced the arrival of Arvydas Novikovas from Erzgebirge Aue on a free transfer. The winger signed a three-year deal with the Ruhr club.
The Lithuanian should see a starting berth open up immediately for him after Michael Gregoritsch's departure to Hamburger SV. Gregoritsch, who joined Bochum permanently in the summer for a minimal fee, has relieved some of the financial pressure on the club - bringing in around €3m.
Lithuanian international eager to prove himself at a higher level
Novikovas already has plenty of experience in the 2. Bundesliga, having spent the last two seasons with Aue. He notched up five goals in four assists with the Violets, though the stats do him a disservice - the 24-year-old's pace and dribbling ability were a real handful to any defenders facing him.
After a season with Interas-AE Visaginas in his native land, Novikovas made the switch to Scotland with Heart of Midlothian. He featured almost 80 times across six seasons for the Edinburgh side, and then switched over to Aue - finally nailing down a first-team spot. The recent years have seen him accumulate 16 appearances for Lithuania, even scoring his first senior international goal.
Hochstätter and Novikovas talk about the transfer
Sporting director Christian Hochstätter was delighted with his newest acquisition, joining the likes of Manuel Riemann and Tobias Weis at Bochum. "Arvydas Novikovas has experience in the 2. Bundesliga and fits the requirements of our philosophy. He's fast, he can dribble and will be an asset to our squad," he said.
Novikovas himself also spoke on the official club website about the renewed faith his new club have in him: "I am the really grateful that they [Bochum] gave me their gave confidence despite my injury that I suffered in the final sprint last season."