The MSV Duisburg squad currently consists of 26 outfield players; if Dominik Becker is signed, that number will rise to 27. A figure that is actually a bit too high.

The transfer window in Germany closes on Monday, February 2, at 8 p.m. Until then, things could still happen at third-division soccer club MSV Duisburg.

Although MSV coach Dietmar Hirsch emphasized on Thursday that he actually had no further wishes, it’s possible that Duisburg could make another move.

The reason: The team has two players for every position, but that’s not the case in central defense. That’s why they tested Dominik Becker during the week in a friendly against the Niederrhein Oberliga side from Schonnebeck.

He played for 1. FC Saarbrücken until the summer and has been without a club since then. Hirsch was impressed by the center back’s performance. “I really liked him. Flawless, solid. Just how a center back needs to play—flawlessly. He dribbled boldly, and you can tell he’s got good pace. That’s a plus for a center back.”

On Friday, he added: “We’ve been in touch. We’ll see what happens by Monday. He won’t be training with us on Friday or Saturday; we’re fully focused on Ulm.”

It sounds like MSV could be open to signing the 26-year-old; an agreement seems within the realm of possibility. If all players are healthy, the “Zebras” would then have 27 field players. That’s actually too many, so it would almost be surprising if no more players left the club.

With Florian Egerer, Andy Visser, Gabriel Sadlek, Tim Heike, and Thilo Töpken, there are several candidates who have recently struggled to make the 20-man squad. Hirsch: “Our sporting director Chris Schmoldt is in talks with the squad. Nothing has been decided yet.”

An overview of MSV Duisburg’s winter transfers so far

New signings: Aljaz Casar (Dynamo Dresden), Lex-Tyger Lobinger (Viktoria Köln)

Departures: Moritz Montag (Fortuna Düsseldorf II)