On Monday, Karlsruher SC announced the arrivals of both Fabian Reese and Benedikt Gimber.
The former arrives from Schalke 04, while Gimber has had his loan cut short at SV Sandhausen and been sent to the Wildparkstadion by TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Both of the promising youngsters are on loan, with Reese secured until the end of the season and Gimber set to stay until 2018.
Attacking option
Reese will be hoping that he can use this chance to prove his worth back in the Ruhr region, after managing just a handful of appearances for Schalke thus far. With four Bundesliga games, a DFB-Pokal cameo and two European outings, the 19-year-old is keen to see more game-time.
The 19-year-old can play across the front four, but is normally used as an attacking midfielder or to play just off the striker. This offers Mirko Slomka added versatility in attack, though he will be up against stern opposition. Fighting his way past the likes of Moritz Stoppelkamp, Erwin Hoffer and Dimitrios Diamantakos will be no easy task for Reese.
Defensive reinforcement
Gimber is the Germany under-20 captain and will add another option for Slomka in defence. With Jordi Figueras, David Kinsombi and Bjarne Theolke the only true centre-back options at the club, he is a welcome addition and a valuable one at that.
A sizeable and strong figure at the back, the Hoffenheim hopeful is as useful in the air as he is on the ground. With another two goals conceded during Slomka’s first game in charge, it may be the case that Gimber sees a starting berth sooner than expected.
After that aforementioned 3-2 win over Arminia Bielefeld, the Wildpark side will travel to VfL Bochum in a bid to gain their first away win since late October.