Tom Krauß

Krauß came through Leipzig's own academy, joining hometown club TuS Leutzsch before moving to FC Sachsen Leipzig and then into RB Leipzig's youth system, where he stayed until signing his first professional contract in 2019. The path since then has run largely away from Leipzig itself. Loan spells at 1. FC Nürnberg and then FC Schalke 04 gave him regular senior football, and at Schalke he was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Month twice, in September 2022 and February 2023, form that persuaded Mainz 05 to sign him for a fee of around €5 million.

The move to Mainz did not settle him into a long run in one place. Further loans followed, first to Luton Town and then to VfL Bochum, before he arrived at 1. FC Köln on loan with a mandatory purchase option attached. That option was triggered once Köln secured their Bundesliga survival, and he signed permanently with the club until 2029.

One moment stands apart from the transfer list: a DFB-Pokal tie against Hamburger SV in October 2021 in which Krauß suffered a severe head collision and needed hospital treatment.

Internationally, he worked his way through Germany's youth setup from under-15 to under-21 level, gathering 43 caps and five goals along the way.