MSV Duisburg’s roster consists of 26 field players; if Dominik Becker is signed, that number will rise to 27. A number that’s 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 requests, 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 club from Schonnebeck.

He played for 1. FC Saarbrücken until the summer and has been a free agent ever since. Hirsch was impressed by the center back’s performance. “I really liked what I saw. Flawless, solid. Exactly how a center back needs to play—flawlessly. He dribbled boldly, and you can tell he’s got good speed. 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 focusing entirely on Ulm.”

It sounds as though 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 players who have recently struggled to make the 20-man roster. Hirsch: “Our sporting director, Chris Schmoldt, is in talks with the squad. Nothing has been finalized 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)