Tim Lemperle joins TSG Hoffenheim

"Tim Lemperle is a player that we have had our eye on for a very long time and he's been on our shortlist for some time. He is a young, exciting and highly talented striker who has developed well in the past two years. Tim not only stands out thanks to his intense playing style and his unbending will to win on the pitch, but also his eye for goal," says Andreas Schicker, managing director of sport at TSG. "Tim's contract in Cologne has now expired, meaning that he had plenty of offers for his next destination. So we are all the more pleased that such a sought-after player, who was wanted by half the Bundesliga, has opted with complete conviction for TSG Hoffenheim." 

At the age of 15, Tim Lemperle moved from the FSV Frankfurt academy to 1. FC Köln and worked his way all the way up to the first team at the well-established club from the Rhine. On 27 June 2020, Lemperle made his Bundesliga debut in the Cologne jersey at the age of just 18 in Cologne's away match against Werder Bremen (which the home side won 6-1) on Matchday 34 of the 2019/2020 season. In the 2023/2024 season, Lemperle enjoyed a loan spell at second division team Greuther Fürth, bagging six goals and five assists in 34 competitive games. After his return to the Rhine metropolis, Lemperle became an indispensable regular in the Cologne team. Last season, the 23-year-old striker scored ten goals in 25 games and laid on another six, making a strong contribution to Cologne's immediate return to the Bundesliga. In the past four and a half years, the Frankfurt native has played 59 competitive games for 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga, the Zweitliga, the DFB-Pokal, Europa League qualifiers and the Conference League. Across those games, Lemperle has scored a total of 13 goals (6 assists).

Lemperle made his debut for the German Under-21 national team against Hungary on 3 June 2022 (a 4-0 win) and has since played a total of ten international games for the DFB youth team, scoring 2 goals. The 22-year-old striker has been a part of the DFB youth setup since the U17s.