The loan of Gerrit Holtmann from VfL Bochum to Turkey is to be terminated prematurely. Darmstadt 98 is said to be interested. What coach Torsten Lieberknecht says about the winger.

Seven appearances, one start and one goal: Gerrit Holtmann is likely to have imagined his time in Turkey with the first division club Antalyaspor differently.

And that’s why it is now likely to come to an end prematurely. VfL Bochum loaned the 28-year-old to the Süper Lig before the current season. As reported by the WAZ, the loan will be cut short and Holtmann will return to Germany six months earlier than originally planned.

However, the winger will not be an option for VfL in the second half of the season. Instead, he could strengthen Darmstadt 98. According to the WAZ, Bochum and SVD are currently negotiating the terms of a transfer. Among other things, it would have to be clarified whether Holtmann would join the Lilies permanently or be loaned out again. His contract in Bochum runs until 2025.

According to Darmstadt coach Torsten Lieberknecht, however, a transfer is not expected before the upcoming Bundesliga match day. “Otherwise, we’ll see,” said the 50-year-old at a press conference on Tuesday. Holtmann is an interesting player who can help a team, he said. ‘But I don’t know if that team is us.’ What is clear, however, is that Holtmann would be working with a former mentor in Lieberknecht. The coach helped the two-time Philippines international make his professional debut in 2015, bringing him up from the second team at Eintracht Braunschweig to the second division team. Holtmann ended up in Bochum in 2020 via Paderborn and Mainz. He played 92 competitive games for VfL (eleven goals, 15 assists) – more than for any other club.

Lieberknecht: “Gerrit is someone who showed why he moved from OSC Bremerhaven to Braunschweig and was then sold to Mainz for 3.5 million euros, who fought relegation battles with Bochum and also performed well in doing so.” And he might do so again soon – in an Darmstadt shirt.