Beier and John back in TSG colours

"Playing time is a core element of the development of any young talent. This has been shown again in the case of Maxi and Marco. Not only did both become regular starters in the second tier, they were also able to make a big mark at their respective clubs," says TSG director of football Alexander Rosen, adding: "Maxi and Marco are two more prime examples of the Hoffenheim way."

Rosen is looking forward to welcoming back two players who are as ambitious as they are talented and who he believes will have a significant role to play in the revamped TSG squad. "Maxi Beier is an extremely pacy striker, who is not only able to pose a threat at any moment up front, but will also be able to put opposition players under constant pressure in build-up play through his aggressive pressing. Marco John has already proved a consistent and reliable performer for us in the Bundesliga and he has gained even more stability, security and self-confidence this year at Fürth."

Beier went out on loan to Hannover at the start of the 2021/22 season. In his 66 competitive appearances for the 96ers so far, he has scored 14 goals and set up seven others. According to the stats, the top speed he has reached this season is 36.43 km/h - in the Bundesliga, only Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen), Sheraldo Becker (Union Berlin) and Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund) have higher values. John moved to Bundesliga 2 club SpVgg Greuther Fürth on loan in August 2022 and soon became a regular starter for the Franconians. The left-back has played in 23 second-tier matches for Fürth and set up three goals.

Prior to their loan spells, both Beier and John had already demonstrated their talents at TSG. Beier made nine appearances in the Bundesliga and two in the Europa League for the Hoffenheim first team, scoring two goals in the process. He became the youngest ever player to represent Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga at the time when he made his debut on Matchday 21 of the 2019/20 season against SC Freiburg (1-0) at the age of 17 years, three months and 22 days. He has since been overtaken in this statistic by Tom Bischof (age on his debut on Matchday 27 of the 2021/22 season: 16 years and 263 days). To date, John has made 16 Bundesliga appearances for TSG, four Europa League appearances (one assist) as well as one in the DFB-Pokal. In autumn 2021, he made his debut for Germany at U21 level in a European Championship qualifier in Latvia.