Fc Ingolstadt have succeeded in making a real top transfer. A decisive role was played by his experience at MSV Duisburg with Ivo Grlic.

After the disappointing last season, which the Schanzers finished in eleventh place, FC Ingolstadt want things to be different in the next season. A new cornerstone has now been lured from the 2nd Bundesliga. Lukas Fröde joins on a free transfer from Hansa Rostock.

The 28-year-old was an absolute fixture for Rostock and only missed two games during the entire season. The 1.92-metre man could be relied on both as a defensive midfielder and as a centre-back.

The move to the 3. Liga seems correspondingly astonishing, as the Rostock team had secured its place in the league on the penultimate matchday. His time at the club played a major role in the decision to take the supposed step into a lower division. “I had already worked with Ivo Grlic (now sports director of the Schanzers, editor’s note) at MSV Duisburg, and since then the contact has never completely broken off. When it was pointed out to me in the talks what role I could play for the team, it was clear to me: I want to take this step.” Fröde collected 59 appearances (three goals, one assist) for MSV from 2017 to 2019.

Grlic himself emphasised in the press release: “Lukas is a rock in the wall and a mentality player with a strong head. As a seasoned second division professional as well as a leader, he brings with him the optimal prerequisites to help us enormously as a team.”

Fröde is immediately Ingolstadt’s most valuable player

The Schanzers are thus getting concentrated experience in their squad. The former German national U-team player has already played 175 times in the 2nd Bundesliga (twelve goals, three assists). With a market value of 750,000 euros (via transfermarkt.de), Fröde immediately becomes the most valuable player in the FCI squad, ahead of the talented Tobias Bech (700,000 euros).

The Ingolstadt team has already signed Leon Guwara (Jahn Regensburg) and Moritz Seiffert (Viktoria Berlin). On the other side, however, there are seven departures, including Justin Butler’s move to Borussia Dortmund II.

Hansa Rostock, on the other hand, is sending a player to the 3rd Division in the shape of Fröde, but at the same time is helping itself to a third-division team. Regular player Alexander Rossipal comes from Waldhof Mannheim. He is also the third newcomer after Serhat-Semih Güler (Wuppertaler SV) and Jannik Bachmann (SV Sandhausen).