Japan captain Makoto Hasebe joined Nuremberg from Bundesliga rivals VfL Wolfsburg on Monday, the last day of the transfer window.
German clubs largely resisted any last-minute splurges on a day of loan deals and departures, with Hasebe’s sale and Tunisian defender Karim Haggui’s switch from Hannover 96 to VfB Stuttgart bucking the trend.
Stuttgart signed the 29-year-old Haggui, a former Bayer 04 Leverkusen player who spent four seasons at Hannover, on a two-year deal to replace former captain Serdar Tasci, who joined Spartak Moscow on Saturday.
Haggui joins former teammates Konstantin Rausch and Mohammed Abdellaoue, who switched to Stuttgart from Hannover earlier in the summer.
Hasebe signed a three-year deal with Nuremberg after protracted negotiations.
“Leaving Wolfsburg is very difficult for me,” 29-year-old Hasebe said. “It’s very important for me to play regularly with a view to the World Cup in Brazil [next year]. That’s why I’ve decided to take this step.”
Nuremberg sporting director Martin Bader said the transfer took so long to go through “due to the high standing he achieved in six years at Wolfsburg.”
Hasebe scored five goals in 135 league games after joining the club from Urawa Red Diamonds in January 2008.
Hamburg SV signed Germany under-21 striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga from Hertha BSC on a one-year loan deal, with Norway midfielder Per Ciljan Skjelbred going in the opposite direction on another loan.
“Lasogga is the type of striker that we were looking for,” Hamburg sporting director Oliver Kreuzer said. “He is an under-21 international, unflinching and he goes where it hurts.”
As well as Skjelbred, Hertha also signed 21-year-old midfielder Tolga Cigerci on loan from VfL Wolfsburg.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen secured an option to buy Finnish striker Joel Pohjanpalo from HJK with effect from July 1 next year. The 18-year-old will play on loan at second-tier VfR Aalen in the meantime.
“I know Joel from the Finnish national team,” Leverkusen coach Sami Hyypia said. “He is a technically strong striker and very advanced for his age.”
Eintracht Frankfurt signed Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta on loan for one season from Schalke 04.
“I’m delighted that it has worked out, and that I get to know the city and the team,” 28-year-old Barnetta said.
Also going on loan was Australian midfielder Nikita Rukavytsya at second-tier FSV Frankfurt from FSV Mainz 05.
Austrian striker Marko Arnautovic left Werder Bremen for Premier League side Stoke City in a transfer Bremen managing director Thomas Eichin said “suits all sides.”
Arnautovic scored 14 goals in 72 Bundesliga games for Bremen since joining in 2010.
Florian Hartherz and Johannes Wurtz also left Werder Bremen for second-tier SC Paderborn 07, on a permanent deal and a loan deal respectively.
Second-tier Fortuna Duesseldorf signed Burkina Faso international Aristide Bance on loan from Augsburg.
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