On Deadline Day, Energie Cottbus sealed another deal in addition to signing Tolga Cigerci. Mladen Cvjetinovic joins from second-division club Holstein Kiel.
On the final day of the winter transfer window, FC Energie Cottbus not only signed midfielder Tolga Cigerci but also bolstered its defense with Mladen Cvjetinovic. The 3. Liga leader announced this on Tuesday evening.
The 22-year-old center back has been loaned from second-division club Holstein Kiel through the summer of 2026.
Head coach Claus-Dieter Wollitz commented on the signing: “We were in agreement within the coaching staff that we wanted to make another move in the defensive area. When the opportunity arose to bring Mladen to us on loan, we seized it. Despite his young age, Mladen has already gained a lot of experience at a high level in the 3. Liga and brings tenacity and quality to the team. We’re convinced that he can help us move forward.”
Squad planner Maniyel Nergiz continued: “Mladen is a really great guy who has everything we’re looking for, both as a player and as a person. I know him from my time in Ingolstadt. We had great discussions and would like to thank Holstein Kiel for the excellent cooperation and the smooth handling of the transfer.”
Cvjetinovic was born in Berlin, where he took his first steps in soccer in Neukölln. From there, he first moved to the Hertha BSC youth academy and later to Viktoria Berlin. His first season playing for Viktoria Berlin’s men’s team in the Northeast Regional League was followed in 2023 by a move to FC Ingolstadt. In Ingolstadt, he played a total of 58 games in the 3rd Division over the course of two seasons before making the move last summer to second-division club Holstein Kiel.
On the Baltic Sea coast, the 1.88m-tall center back made only one appearance this season—76 minutes—due to injury and is now expected to gain as much playing time as possible with the Lausitz-based club. Ironically, the defender could make his debut this coming Saturday (February 7, 2 p.m.) against his former club, Ingolstadt.
