Dynamo Dresden is gearing up for a comeback in the second division. A returning player and a Bundesliga player are set to stabilize the defense. They are joined by a player on loan from Freiburg.
With just 13 points from 17 games, Dynamo Dresden is gearing up for a comeback in the second division. But the bottom-of-the-table team has a big problem: its defense.
34 goals conceded are too many. Jonas Sterner and Thomas Keller are now expected to remedy the situation.
Sterner already knows Dresden very well, having played a part in the club’s promotion in May 2025 as a regular left-back. “I’ve always emphasized that I felt very comfortable in Dresden. Last season, with the team’s promotion, left a lasting impression on me. I’m all the more delighted that we can now fight together again for Dynamo’s success,” said Sterner, who is on loan from Hannover 96. So he is now back in Dresden until the end of the season. “We are delighted that the plan, which was already in place in the summer, has now been implemented and Jonas is back as part of our team. He knows the city, the club, and the team from last season and will therefore be able to quickly find his feet again. We know his qualities and hope to be able to integrate him back into the team quickly,” said his new coach Thomas Stamm. The 1.81-meter-tall winger moved to the youth team of KSV Holstein after playing for the juniors at Rödemisser SV and SG Hattstedt/Arlewatt. Sterner later made the leap to the professional squad at the Storks and played 36 games in the 2nd Bundesliga. In the 2024/25 season, Sterner was already on loan to the Black and Yellows and played a major role in their promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga, scoring two goals and setting up eight more in 32 games in the 3rd league.
Keller is also joining on loan, from first division club 1. FC Heidenheim. “With Thomas, we have gained a robust and strong player for our defense. He brings us experience from games in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Conference League and will be a reinforcement for our defensive unit in the second half of the season with his character and style of play,” said Sören Gonther, sporting director at SGD.
After training with the youth teams of SpVgg Unterhaching and FC Ingolstadt 04, Keller made the leap into professional football with the Schanzern. In the summer of 2022, the 1.86-meter-tall center back joined 1. FC Heidenheim. Keller has played in a total of twelve Bundesliga and 26 second division games to date. He has also played two games in the UEFA Conference League, in which he scored one goal. “I’m looking forward to the challenge in Dresden. I hope I can do my part to help our team achieve its goals. Dynamo Dresden belongs in the 2. Bundesliga and we will do everything we can to make sure that remains the case in the new season,” he said of his new role in Dresden.
Robert Wagner joins on loan from SC Freiburg to bolster the attack. The 22-year-old midfielder played for second division rivals Holstein Kiel in the first half of the season. The loan has now been terminated early so that Wagner can play for Schwarz-Gelb in the second half of the season.
“The challenge in Dresden is very appealing to me. Together, we want to ensure that this club remains in the league with its momentum. To do that, we will have to work hard in the coming weeks. Now I’m looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces again and then tackling the tasks ahead with the team,” said Wagner.
Wagner was born on July 14, 2003, in Lahr. From the SC Lahr youth team, Wagner moved to the SC Freiburg youth academy, where he made the leap to the professional team via the second team. In recent seasons, the 1.81-meter-tall central midfielder has been loaned to SpVgg Greuther Fürth, FC St. Pauli, and Holstein Kiel. The 22-year-old has played 16 games in the Bundesliga and 45 games in the 2. Bundesliga, among others.