On Wednesday, VfL Bochum announced that they had successfully agreed professional terms with promising young defender, Tom Baack.
The 17-year-old, whose deal was set to expire at the end of the season, has signed on until 2019 with the Ruhrstadion outfit.
Currently out with a broken ankle, Baack will be desperate to be fit again soon to show his worth for both club and country.
Promise in the youth ranks
Baack is one of several highly thought of youngsters at the club, which continues to produce fantastic talent despite the financial constraints.
Gökhan Gül is regarded as one of the most promising centre-back talents in the country, while Maxim Leitsch, Tim Krafft and Florian Kraft all have bright futures ahead.
The issue is, however, that the latter three all run out of contract this summer and the club will have to act quickly to ensure they stay in the Ruhrpott for years to come.
Gül's deal runs out in 2018, as does Görkem Saglam's, and it would be no surprise to see Bundesliga sides trying to poach two top-class starlets.
Baack and Hochstätter have their say
Baack, along with sporting director, Christian Hochstätter spoke to the official club website after the deal was confirmed.
The 13-time under-17 international beamed, "I am pleased to be part of a rapid development that VfL have undertaken in recent years."
He added, "The commitment to young players and their own talents has created the momentum to tie me to VfL for longer."
Hochstätter said, "The current ankle injury is annoying, but we are convinced that Tom put this setback behind him and hope that the recovery continues so positively like it has."
Speaking on his birthday, the 53-year-old concluded: "He is still so young, there is plenty of time to give us pleasure. "