Hoffenheim signs fourth-division striker January 27th, 2009
Bundesliga leader Hoffenheim is bringing back a fourth-division striker, but says he is not a replacement for the injured Vedad Ibisevic, the league’s leading scorer.
Kai Herdling, from the neighboring team SV Waldhof Mannheim, is slated to sign a contract Tuesday.
Herdling played for Hoffenheim when it was still in the lower leagues and left the club after last season, when Hoffenheim was promoted to the top division. He usually played for Hoffenheim’s reserves.
Hoffenheim said the striker was coming back to add depth to Hoffenheim’s bench and was not considered as a replacement for Ibisevic, who scored 18 goals in the first half of the season. Ibisevic is out for the rest of the season after tearing ligaments in his right knee during a training game.
The Bundesliga season resumes this weekend. Hoffenheim, which leads defending champion Bayern Munich on goal difference, plays Energie Cottbus.