Deadline Day is drawing to a close. Rot-Weiss Essen can announce that he’s staying. Ramien Safi will not be moving to the 2. Bundesliga.

It was a tense few hours on Monday, February 2, 2026, along Hamburger Strasse in Braunschweig and Hafenstrasse in Essen.

Ramien Safi had caught the eye of second-division club Eintracht Braunschweig—as reported by Forecasting. The Lower Saxony club wanted to lure the super-sprinter away from Rot-Weiss Essen. But RWE wasn’t having any of it.

According to Forecasting, the third-division club initially rejected a 300,000-euro offer and, a few hours later, a 350,000-euro offer as well—plus bonuses in the event of a resale. “Yes,” replied Benjamin Kessel, Braunschweig’s sporting director, when asked by Forecasting whether the Safi deal had fallen through.

Safi’s critics will wonder why RWE didn’t go through with this deal, which at first glance seemed lucrative for the club. His supporters will breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Rot-Weiss Essen would have lost perhaps its strongest weapon had Safi been sold. Because even though Safi is criticized for his missed chances or squandered scoring opportunities, one thing remains clear: He creates these chances himself, and opponents are practically trembling when they see the name Ramien Safi on the RWE lineup. Uwe Koschinat also emphasized this on “Magenta Sport” after the 1-1 draw against Wehen Wiesbaden.

The 26-year-old attacking player is highly regarded by the RWE coach. Koschinat reportedly made this clear to Safi once again on Deadline Day, thereby showing his support for the player once more. Just how valuable Safi is to the Red-and-White’s sporting management is proven by the simple fact that the Essen club turned down a 350,000-euro offer for a player whose contract expires in the summer of 2026. Unless: RWE is promoted, in which case Safi’s contract will automatically be extended through June 30, 2027.

You don’t have to be a prophet to say that Safi will only remain a Rot-Weiss Essen player for the 2026–2027 season if the team is promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. Should RWE remain in the 3. Liga, Safi—who would then be a free agent this summer—will move to the second tier of German soccer—perhaps to Eintracht Braunschweig, if the club manages to avoid relegation.

Safi has appeared in 21 games (two goals, three assists) for RWE this season. In total, he has played 67 matches (11 goals, 9 assists) for Rot-Weiss Essen.