Norwegian midfielder Mats Möller Daehli has joined FC St. Pauli on loan for the rest of the season from SC Freiburg.
The 21-year-old, who has won 13 caps for his country, joins the 2. Bundesliga’s bottom side in the search of first team football, after just two brief substitute appearances in the Bundesliga for Freiburg this season.
He is St. Pauli’s third signing of the January window and, according to director of sport Andreas Retting, he will also be the last new arrival.
Injuries hamper progress at Freiburg
Daehli looked set for big things when he signed for Manchester United in 2011 from Lyn Oslo, but before he had the opportunity to break into the first team he was signed by Molde FK in the summer of 2013, before following manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Cardiff City just six months later.
At Cardiff he made a total of 24 league appearances, 13 of which came in the Premier League before the club were relegated after just one season in the top flight. His first goal for Cardiff came in a 3-3 draw with West Bromwich Albion. However after Solskjaer left the club after just seven games into the following season, he would make just three more appearances for the club.
In January 2015 he joined Freiburg, but after starting in defeats Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund he missed the rest of the season with patella problems, and further injury problems meant he played little part in their 2. Bundesliga winning campaign last season.
Aside from two league appearances and being involved in both of their DFB-Pokal fixtures, the only other football he has seen so far this season has been in the fifth tier Oberliga Baden-Württemberg with the second team, and with both the Norway team and under-21 teams.
Another reinforcement for relegation battle
He is the third player to join St. Pauli over the winter break, with Lennart Thy returning from Werder Bremen, also on loan, and Johannes Flum arriving on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Rettig said that the club were impressive with “his determination to take on the role with us” during the talks over the deal. Meanwhile head coach Ewald Lienen praised his versatility and ability on the ball, adding that he would “bolster out attack.”
Daehli himself said he was “looking forward” to what awaits him at the Millerntor, and whilst he said that he wanted to use his “quality” to help the club stay up, he also calls the chance “a great opportunity for me to improve as a player.”
St. Pauli, who are currently three points adrift from safety at the bottom of the league, return to action against third-placed VfB Stuttgart on the 29 January.
Quotes via FC St. Pauli.