Overview
- Cottbus confirmed the arrival of former Bundesliga midfielder Tolga Ciğerci and the loan of center-back Mladen Cvjetinovic from Holstein Kiel through the end of the season.
- Coach Claus-Dieter Wollitz said the club targeted defensive reinforcement to support the 3. Liga leaders’ push for promotion.
- Tolga will play alongside his younger brother Tolcay for the first time in the professional game, with the club consulting the DFB on how their names will appear on shirts.
- Having left Sivasspor in 2025, Tolga had trained with Cottbus for months and reportedly accepted lower wages to sign, with his match fitness under review after his last competitive game in May 2025.
- Holstein GM Olaf Rebbe backed the loan to secure playing time for Cvjetinovic, who missed months with a syndesmosis injury and remains under contract in Kiel until 2029.