Overview
- The loan was announced on Tuesday and followed a new long‑term contract extension by Hoffenheim that secures Frees’s rights before the temporary move to Kaiserslautern.
- Hoffenheim sporting director Paul Pajduch said the club and player agreed the loan is the right development step to provide high‑level playing time.
- Frees missed large parts of last season with an ankle fracture and made only 12 appearances for Hoffenheim’s U23 side in the 3. Liga, so the loan is intended to support his comeback.
- Kaiserslautern has given Frees squad number 45 and he took part in his first training session with the team on Wednesday, with sporting director Marcel Klos highlighting his height, aerial strength and speed.
- Frees is a two‑time Germany U19 international standing 2.02 metres tall, and regular minutes in the 2. Bundesliga could speed his development and create a clearer pathway back to Hoffenheim’s first team.