As many Bundesliga clubs prepare to return for pre-season training, the transfer window is in full swing. 

This can be a stressful time of the year for players, agents, and clubs alike as they try and get the best deal for themselves or their respective clients.

This is particularly important for players that have been released from their clubs at the end of the season and are looking for a club to call home.

Below I will detail five players that were been released by Bundesliga clubs after the 2021/22 season that are looking for new homes.

These players will be of great interest for clubs that have tighter purse strings and are working on a budget this summer.

 

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John Anthony Brooks

Position: Centre Back

First on the list is a 29-year-old defender with bags of Bundesliga experience under his belt with his time at Hertha Berlin and then more recently VfL Wolfsburg.

The 6’4” central defender has earned 45 senior caps for his native United States despite playing once for Germany’s under-20 side.

Despite playing 29 of Wolfsburg’s 34 Bundesliga games last season he decided after discussions with the club that he would like a new challenge.

Having 245 Bundesliga appearances to his name the American won’t struggle to attract suitors in the Bundesliga and abroad.

One thing that the 29-year-old will be looking for is guarantees over playing time with the World Cup in Qatar coming up in November of this year.

Although the defender may want a move abroad when he says he is looking for a new challenge I think if he was to stay in the Bundesliga then FC Köln would be a good fit for him.

Köln would be able to offer the centre back European football as they qualified for the European Conference League last season after finishing in 7th place.

Like Wolfsburg, Köln play a four at the back formation which will suit Brooks and given his height and lack of speed being partnered with young defender Luca Kilian may help the American.

Köln will be looking to strengthen in defence as they only have three senior centre backs currently and with extra games to play next season they will need added depth.

Bringing Brooks in for them would bring leadership to their defence as well as much needed bodies as they go into the second season under coach Steffen Baumgart.

 

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Jean-Paul Boëtius

Position: Central Attacking Midfielder

After four years with Mainz 05 Jean-Paul Boëtius has left the west-central German club this summer at the end of his contract.

The attacking asset started his career in his native Netherlands where he broke through at his home town club Feyenoord.

He made 82 appearances there before moving to FC Basel in Switzerland.

But he failed to make an impact there and returned home to Feyenoord in the summer of 2017 and after scoring six Eredivisie goals earned a move to Mainz the following summer.

Boëtius will admit he has had ups and downs in his four seasons as a Mainz player but he ended his last season with the club on a high as they achieved their highest finish in the Bundesliga in six years as they came 8th.

The 28-year-old has made 97 Bundesliga appearances at his time at Mainz but only contributed two goals and two assists last season as he was eased out of the team under Bo Svensson.

But at the age of 28 the Dutchman will firmly believe he still has some of the best years of his career left in him.

One club in the Bundesliga that might give the agile attacking midfielder another chance in the Bundesliga is Werder Bremen.

Bremen have attacking midfielders in Leonardo Bittencourt and Romano Schmid but neither have fully convinced in the top division.

Boëtius would bring much needed speed to the Bremen attack that is spearheaded by Niclas Füllkrug and Marvin Ducksch, who don’t possess lightning speed or agility.

The Dutchman has been linked with a move to recently relegated Norwich City in England but if he was to stay in Germany, Werder Bremen may be the club for him.

 

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Alfreð Finnbogason

Position: Striker

Augsburg have decided not to renew the contract of their all-time Bundesliga top goal scorer, Alfreð Finnbogason.

This may come as a surprising decision to many as the Icelandic striker was clinical in his early Augsburg career and even scored a World Cup goal in Iceland’s historic draw against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

But the forward has been ravaged with injuries in recent years and only managed three starts in the Bundesliga last season and with him being 33-year-old it can be seen as a wise decision by his previous employers.

This however doesn’t mean the striker can’t be of use to others in the Bundesliga or further afield.

The Icelandic international scored 37 Bundesliga goals in his six years at Augsburg and showed real composure in front of goal when given the chance for an Augsburg side that struggled to create chances for him.

The 33-year-old has been linked with Borussia Mönchengladbach recently as they look to prepare themselves in case forwards Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram depart this summer.

This could be a good move for the Icelander as he will be backup to Breel Embolo meaning he won’t be starting many games which might suit the ageing striker due to his recent injury record.

Another option in the Bundesliga for Finnbogason could be Union Berlin.

The capital side have exceeded expectations in recent years seeing them qualify for the Europa League last season. 

This will be another step up for the club that only got promoted three seasons ago and this means they will once again need more strength in depth.

In recent days they have lost top goal scorer, Taiwo Awoniyi to Nottingham Forest in a deal worth up to 17 million euros.

This means they need to fill that void up front and although Finnbogason might not be their main man next season he would be a shrewd signing as a backup striker once again that has been there and done it in the Bundesliga. 

 

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Dan-Axel Zagadou

Position: Centre Back

Probably the player attracting the most interest on this list due to his physical attributes as well as his experience at such a young age. 

The 23-year-old was seen as surplus to requirements by Borussia Dortmund this summer after they secured the signings of Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck.

The Frenchman only managed 10 starts in the Bundesliga last season as he struggled with injury once again.

The 23-year-old has said he aims to still be playing in Europe next season at whatever club he signs for.

The defender made 67 Bundesliga appearances since his move to Dortmund from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.

He stands at a commanding 6’5” and is a no nonsense defender that attracted plenty of interest when he broke through at Dortmund but injuries and his lack of concentration in a leaky Dortmund backline have led to his career stalling.

He is however still only 23 and with 14 Champions League appearances under his belt he certainly has the experience to continue playing in Europe after this summer.

Hoffenheim have been heavily linked with the Frenchman who fits their profile of defender and is the Sinsheim club’s main target if they can’t complete the loan signing of Chris Richards from Bayern Munich for another campaign.

Another Bundesliga destination he could land at could be Eintracht Frankfurt if he is adamant on playing European football.

This is a transfer that would make sense for all parties as Frankfurt are in the market for a centre back after Martin Hinteregger announced this week that he was retiring from football at the age of 29.

This has left a hole in Oliver Glasner’s defensive back three and with Evan N’Dicka’s contract only having 12 months left on it they could be in even more trouble defensively.

 

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Lukas Klünter

Position: Right Back

Lukas Klünter has represented Germany at Under 19, 20 and 21 level but has struggled to find his feet after breaking through at FC Köln in 2017.

The full back who has played in a more advanced role before moved to Hertha Berlin in 2018 after Köln’s relegation from the Bundesliga but he failed to cement a spot at the capital club.

The German played 23 times in the 2019/20 season as it looked like he was finally finding his feet but injuries in the last two seasons and manager’s trust in veteran defender, Peter Pekarík have seen him get limited game time.

As Hertha once again deal with a summer of change they decided not to offer Klünter a new contract.

Due to his lack of involvement the last two seasons sides would be taking a chance on the 26-year-old this summer but one that could prove financially beneficial if he can find the form that seen him play for Germany at under age level.

One team that may look at the defender that has 80 Bundesliga appearances in his armoury is VfL Bochum.

Bochum surprised many last season as they secured safety with relative ease but going into next season right back might be a position they look to strengthen as Christian Gamboa is the wrong side of 30.

Bringing in Klünter on a free may turn out to be smart business for Bochum as that would provide competition for the Costa Rican and make sure he doesn’t drop his levels next season.

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