Days flew by in the repetition of training and matches, and after the draw, it was the last League match before Christmas in the blink of an eye.
In December in Germany, the air was already filled with a strong festive atmosphere, but the smoke of battle on the pitch would not dissipate because of it.
This time, Hoffenheim hosted their Baden-Württemberg Derby rivals—Stuttgart.
Before the match, considering the dense schedule, the importance of Oliver, and the upcoming UEFA Champions League, Nagelsmann explicitly told his beloved disciple during the pre-match briefing:
"Oliver, this Derby will be very intense, and the opponent will definitely 'take care' of you. You need to conserve your energy. In the first half, you will be on standby on the bench."
Oliver said it was completely okay.
The Derby began, with both sides fiercely competing for every inch.
The Hoffenheim players did not lose their way because Oliver was not in the starting lineup.
In the first half, under the repeated attacks of Kaderabek and Schulz, Hoffenheim played actively and proactively.
In the 27th minute, utilizing a free-kick opportunity in the attacking third, Uth's header was blocked, but the quick-witted Uth instinctively followed up with a shot and scored!
1:0!
The entire home stand erupted into a blue and white frenzy!
Just 10 minutes later, Hoffenheim scored again!
Gnabry cut in from the left, played a brilliant one-two with Grillitsch in the middle, and then burst into the box. Facing the goalkeeper, he calmly slotted the ball into the far corner!
2:0!
At the end of the first half, Hoffenheim went into the locker room with a two-goal lead. Oliver, who was on the bench, celebrated with everyone, looking relaxed.
However, the intensity of a Derby and the sudden change in momentum in the second half are always classic scripts in football.
Stuttgart's Coach had clearly given an intense pep talk and made tactical adjustments at halftime.
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Stuttgart, through a quick counter-attack, saw winger Brekalo capitalize on a minor miscommunication between Hübner and Vogt, and score with a powerful shot from a tight angle!
1:2! The roar of the away fans instantly surged!
This conceded goal seemed to open a subtle valve of tension in Hoffenheim's defense.
Just 11 minutes later, Stuttgart came back again!
Another attack from the wing, a cross creating chaos, and Stuttgart's striker Donis poked the ball into the net amidst the confusion!
2:2!
In just over ten minutes, Hoffenheim's two-goal lead vanished.
Rhein-Neckar Arena instantly fell silent, and the faces of the home fans were filled with disbelief and anxiety.
Hoffenheim had the upper hand in terms of play, but two slightly loose moments were seized by the experienced Stuttgart.
Nagelsmann could no longer sit still.
The pressure of the Derby combined with the dangerous situation of having a two-goal lead erased, he had to respond!
He suddenly stood up from the coaching bench, walked quickly to the substitute bench, and his gaze, sharp as a torch, fixed on Oliver:
"Ollie! Warm up immediately, change your clothes! Replace Ochs at right wing, I need your attacking power, tear open their defense for me!"
"Yes, Coach!"
Oliver did not hesitate in the slightest, throwing off his thick coat to reveal the blue and white No. 17 home jersey underneath. He expertly put on the black warm neck gaiter handed to him by the assistant Coach, and then quickly donned a pair of equally black, thick warm gloves, as the temperature in the second half had noticeably dropped with the arrival of night.
He looked focused, his eyes sharp, and he quickly ran to the warm-up area by the side of the pitch.
Oliver is on!
The entire stadium erupted in deafening cheers!
Hoffenheim's calming presence had arrived!
He replaced Ochs and stepped onto the pitch, where snowflakes had begun to fall in the bitter cold.
Upon entering the game, Oliver did not rush to make an impact. He first dropped back to midfield, helping Kramarić and Amiri organize possession on the right wing.
With a few concise and precise passes, he quickly got the ball moving, making the team's overall offense flow smoothly again.
His positioning also began to become more threatening, sometimes cutting into the half-space, sometimes pulling wide to draw defenders.
In the 79th minute, under sustained positional attack.
Grillitsch, after drawing defenders in the middle, suddenly passed the ball to Kaderabek who had overlapped on the right wing!
Kaderabek did not choose to go to the byline, but instead looked up, and decisively delivered a fast, low cross.
The ball was very fast, with strong spin, heading straight for the penalty spot!
The moment the cross was sent, Oliver, like a ghost, diagonally ran from the top of the box to the edge of the six-yard box.
His timing was excellent. Just as the two Stuttgart center-backs' attention was briefly drawn to Uth at the near post and Gnabry at the far post, Oliver keenly caught that fleeting gap.
He got ahead of the covering defender and, with the outside of his right foot, made an incredibly subtle flick.
There was no swing of the leg, no forceful strike, just an exquisitely skillful, feather-light touch.
The ball lost the power of the cross but changed direction.
Then, with a tricky arc, it gracefully bypassed the goalkeeper's desperate dive, kissing the inside of the far post, and rolled into the net.
This goal was "chipped" in.
"GOOOOOOOAL!!! The top scorer, Oliver Thorne, Hoffenheim's nuclear weapon, the Bundesliga's supernova!!!" The Commentator's voice was torn with excitement, "In the 79th minute of the match, No. 17 Oliver, his divine flick after coming on as a substitute, Hoffenheim leads 3:2!"
The entire stadium completely exploded, and fervent blue flames danced wildly in the stands!
For the remaining time, Hoffenheim united, holding off Stuttgart's frantic counter-attacks.
The final whistle finally blew, 3:2. Hoffenheim narrowly won the Derby at home.
Hoffenheim, thanks to Oliver's decisive goal, defeated Stuttgart 3:2, winning this valuable Derby victory and bringing a victorious conclusion to their 2017 campaign.
After the match, snow fell silently.
When the players had finished thanking the stands amidst the fans' deafening cheers and were walking off the pitch, white snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.
This was Germany's first snow of winter, fine and gentle, slowly falling onto the pitch that still radiated the lingering heat of the match.
The Bundesliga snow was somewhat romantic, and somewhat gentle.
Oliver was the last to walk towards the player tunnel today.
Today, he didn't, like others, wrap himself tightly in his coat and rush back to the locker room to warm up.
He stopped, stood by the side of the pitch, and looked up at the snowy night sky, made somewhat hazy by the stadium lights.
Lights, falling snow, blue and white jersey, and cool black accessories outlined a young figure exuding unique charm in the biting winter.
Oliver turned slightly, looked up, his gaze somewhat empty as he watched the snowflakes swirling and falling in the sky.
Snowflakes landed on his hair, neck gaiter, and the shoulders of his jersey, quickly melting and disappearing, just like the dreamlike half-season he had just experienced in his professional career—fleeting yet vividly impactful.
"Phew... The Bundesliga snow... Is it really this beautiful...?" Oliver quietly felt the snowflakes landing on him.
This moment was precisely captured by a senior photojournalist from the German football magazine Kicker. He photographed Oliver admiring the snow.
In the picture, he was wearing a blue and white Hoffenheim jersey, the intensity of the pitch gone, replaced by a hint of fatigue yet an incredibly serene and gentle aura.
The image captured by the reporter, the Snow Prince of the Bundesliga.
The next day, when this photo was developed in the magazine's editorial department, the editor in charge of the current issue decided almost instantly: "This is it! The cover of the next issue!"
Subsequently, after obtaining formal authorization from Hoffenheim and Oliver himself, and paying the corresponding copyright fees.
This photo, titled "The Snow Prince of the Bundesliga," appeared on the cover of Kicker magazine's Christmas special issue.
Oliver's handsome profile, with its oriental charm, looked particularly striking against the backdrop of the snowflakes, and the caption was even more insightful: "The 17-year-old Snow Prince of the Bundesliga, enjoying a moment of tranquility after his snowy night winner."
Even his teammate Gnabry, upon seeing the magazine, couldn't help but roll it into a tube, poke Oliver's arm as he trained in the gym, and say, feigning envy:
"Hey, Snow Prince, it's one thing that you're good at football, but you can even get on the cover and steal the spotlight just by standing in the snow? Can't you handsome guys leave us ordinary people a way to live?"
Oliver put down the barbell, took the magazine, glanced at the cover, and then slyly winked at Gnabry, saying, "Serge, next time it snows, I can specifically ask a photographer to take a picture of you. You can do it like this then…"
Oliver imitated Gnabry's machine gun celebration after his last goal, with an exaggerated serious expression on his face, "You can fire wildly in the snow. I guarantee it will be a hundred times cooler than me just standing there blankly. How about the title 'God of War in the Snow'?
" "Hahahaha…"
"I agree, hahahaha… Serge, you must do as Ollie says."
The gym instantly erupted with laughter from his teammates, and even Captain Vogt, who was diligently pedaling a stationary bike nearby, nearly fell over from amusement.
Gnabry laughed and punched Oliver: "Oliver, you've gone bad!"
"Hahahaha…" Oliver was also amused.
After a brief period of relaxation and joy, the players concluded their last training session of December.
The holiday officially began.
Everyone, carrying the joy of victory and their fatigue, packed their bags, preparing to return home to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays with their families.
While the players relaxed, Nagelsmann was about to get busy with transfer reinforcements.
In the tactical meeting room, the huge whiteboard was densely covered with names, tactical analyses, and data charts.
Although Hoffenheim drew a relatively ideal opponent, Porto, in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, this did not mean they could let their guard down.
There are no pushovers among the teams that make it to the knockout stage.
Porto's toughness, efficiency, and rich experience in European competitions were their biggest weapons.
The problem Hoffenheim currently faced was whether the depth of their existing squad could support fighting on two fronts, especially the incredibly intense UEFA Champions League knockout stage?
In the crucial defensive midfield position, while Amiri and Kramarić had impeccable chemistry and skill, if someone got injured or suspended, the bench lacked enough players with Champions League experience who could immediately step in and perform consistently.
The same applied to the defense; Captain Vogt and Hübner were reliable, but the long season and packed schedule required dependable rotation, especially in knockout matches where there could be no room for error.
Reinforcing in the winter transfer window was imperative.
Director Rosen and Nagelsmann sat together at the desk, with the club's latest financial status report spread out before them.
Rosen pointed to the document and said to Nagelsmann, "Julian, we achieved a historic six wins in six games in the Champions League group stage. In addition to the generous basic Champions League participation prize money, there's also the bonus for winning all group stage matches.
Coupled with the Bundesliga broadcasting revenue and some growth in commercial income, our entire first half of the season operated very healthily.
Now, we have approximately over 48 million Euros that can be invested in the transfer market."
This figure included the club's original reserves and income, about 16 million Euros, and the substantial earnings just acquired from the Champions League group stage, about 32 million Euros.
This was undoubtedly a huge sum, an astronomical figure for Hoffenheim, who had long operated on a small budget.
But how should this money be spent?
Nagelsmann's goals were extremely clear: "We need to reinforce our team's defensive midfield and center-back positions. Alright, let's get busy, guys, let's start looking for targets."
It was currently the winter transfer window and a critical period for the Champions League, so Hoffenheim's reinforcement targets could only be players who had not participated in European competitions this season, making the selection more difficult.
Hoffenheim's coaching staff and scouting team conducted extensive analysis and screening.
Finally, after repeated deliberation and intense internal discussion, two names appeared before Nagelsmann:
[Frenkie De Jong]: 21 years old, Ajax midfielder.
Excellent positional sense, broad vision, and organizational and passing stability beyond his years. He could play both as a defensive midfielder or a central midfielder.
De Jong had already shown the potential to become a top midfielder in Ajax's Eredivisie and Europa League campaigns, but his European competition record this season was still blank.
This was exactly what Hoffenheim needed!
Furthermore, De Jong's technical characteristics perfectly aligned with Nagelsmann's emphasis on possession and quick progression.
The second defensive target was:
[Harry Maguire]: 25 years old, Leicester City's starting defender.
Explosive physical qualities, 1.94 meters tall, strong, extremely good at frontal defending, excellent in aerial duels, a true aerial threat. He was a major weapon both defensively and in set-piece attacks, and possessed the tough style forged in the Premier League.
These two, in Nagelsmann's view, perfectly met Hoffenheim's current needs.
De Jong represented youth, talent, and an increase in the tactical adaptability ceiling, while Maguire represented toughness, experience, and guaranteed immediate impact.
Targets locked, all that remained was negotiation and execution efficiency!
Nagelsmann's team wasted no time, immediately initiating formal contact with Ajax and Leicester City.
Hoffenheim's proposal was very clear and pragmatic: a loan for half a season, until the end of the current season.
For these two clubs, this proposal was highly attractive.
Ajax and Leicester City were both keen to see their players gain experience and exposure on a higher platform, especially on the widely watched UEFA Champions League knockout stage!
This was crucial for increasing player value and future negotiation leverage.
Both clubs were planning to sell their star players for high prices in the future. Ajax, a famous 'black shop' in Europe, knew this well and were very happy to send their young players to play in the Champions League.
Leicester City, having accumulated rich experience in high-price transfers after selling stars like Kante and Mahrez, were also happy to let Maguire play in the Champions League.
For them, loaning De Jong, who still had room for improvement, and Maguire, who was in his prime, to a rising Hoffenheim team with Champions League knockout stage qualification, was definitely a win-win.
On the other hand, Hoffenheim also immediately engaged in in-depth discussions with both players and their agents.
Nagelsmann himself personally painted a picture for De Jong and Maguire: the crucial title-contending matches in the second half of the Bundesliga season, the huge stage of the Champions League Round of 16 against Porto, and his irreplaceable playing time commitment within Hoffenheim's tactical system.
For the 21-year-old De Jong, the Bundesliga stage was more than a notch above the Eredivisie, not to mention the opportunity to feature in the Champions League knockout stage!
For the 25-year-old Maguire, this was also the best opportunity to prove his strength.
Thus, negotiations proceeded rapidly in a professional and pragmatic atmosphere.
The focus was more on the specific amount of the loan fee, the setting of future buyout fees, and the proportion of salary sharing.
During negotiations with Ajax, Hoffenheim demonstrated a bit of their 'new Champions League rich' premium advantage at a critical moment, stating their willingness to cover 80% of the player's salary during the loan period and pay Ajax a relatively high loan fee of approximately 3 million Euros.
At the same time, Hoffenheim also paid Leicester City a 3 million Euro loan fee and covered 100% of Maguire's salary as compensation to Leicester City.
After all, Maguire was indeed an important defensive player for Leicester City. Loaning out their defensive linchpin certainly required some compensation.
Hoffenheim showed consideration and generosity.
In the face of the attractive condition of 'Champions League knockout stage qualification,' all obstacles to the negotiations were smoothly removed.
Before the Christmas holiday began, two important loan agreements had been officially signed!
When the confirmed documents finally arrived on Nagelsmann's desk, he let out a long sigh of relief, a relaxed smile on his face.
De Jong and Maguire would report to Hoffenheim on time after the winter break.
...
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