1899 Hoffenheim take Finnish U21 international Raitala on loan

The 5 ft 11 defender put in some promising performances at the U21 European Championships over the summer and made his debut for the senior Finland national team against Japan in February. Raitala began his football journey with youth side Kereva Pallo-75 Finn before earning a move to top Finnish club HJK Helsinki, where he progressed into the reserves after just one year with the youth squad. He made his professional debut against AC Oulu in April 2007.

Sporting Director Jan Schindelmeiser was delighted with the club's latest acquisition: "We have been interested in Jukka since last summer. He can play in both full-back positions and his excellent performances at the U21 European Championships came as no surprise to us. We'll make sure he has the time he needs to develop here at the club."

Raitala was equally pleased: "My first impressions of Hoffenheim have only confirmed what people told me about the club. I'm really pleased to see they've placed their trust in me and I'm certain that Hoffenheim will be the right place for me to mature as a player."
Having signed with the club, Jukka Raitala travelled to join up his Finnish U21 compatriots and is likely to take part in his first Hoffenheim training session on 10th September.

Bio: Jukka Raitala

Birthday/place: 15.09.1988 in Kerava (FIN)

Height: 1,81 m

Position: Defender

Shirt number: 22

International appearances: 1x Finland national team, 19x Finland U21s

Honours: Finnish Cup winner 2008, participation at U21 European Championships 2009

Former clubs: HJK Helsinki, Kerava Pallo-