Hannover 96 confirmed, on Monday, that they had signed Adam Szalai on loan from fellow Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. He joins on a temporary basis until the end of the season, although Hannover did announce that they had the option to purchase him come the end of the campaign.
Another attacker for Hannover
Kicker report that the loan fee is around €600k, which is a hefty outlay for just six months. However, despite playing just 122 minutes of football this season, Szalai knows that he will have to perform well during this period to secure his spot in Hungary's EURO 2016 squad. He scored just four goals in the 2014/15 campaign, and is desperate to return to the form that seen him play so well with 1. FSV Mainz 05.
He will now do battle with several players for a starting spot, with Thomas Schaaf seemingly desperate to bolster attacking options. Schaaf already has Artur Sobiech, Charilston Benschop, Melvüt Erdinc, Uffe Bech and Iver Fossum as viable strikers. Therefore it makes the signing of yet another forward a curious one, especially given the team's struggles across the pitch this year.
Bader and Szalai have their say
Sporting director Martin Bader had this to say on Szalai's signing: "Adam has been at home in the Bundesliga for years and has demonstrated that he can score goals wherever he has been, we are very confident that he can also succeed with us." The Hungarian international also admitted he was "looking forward to the challenge" of keeping the HDI-Arena outfit in the Bundesliga.
This is Hannover's third signing of the transfer window, as the club desperately try to avoid relegation from the top tier. He joins Japanese midfielder Hotaru Yamaguchi and Iver Fossum in the team, meaning they have been the most active side in the transfer window so far.