Bundesliga Transfer News: Eintracht's Marco Russ to Join VfL Wolfsburg

According to Eintracht Frankfurt President Heribert Bruchhagen on Sport 1 Television, the transfer of central-defender Marco Russ to Felix Magath-managed VfL Wolfsburg is imminent.

"Wolfsburg has made a substantial offer...so I am very hopeful we can finalize this...shortly.

"Of course this is a great loss for Frankfurt (and) Marco Russ has always been with us, but with his contract running out in 2012, we have always signaled our readiness to entertain offers."

Traditional Bundesliga side, Eintracht Frankfurt was relegated to Germany's Second Division at the end of the season and is seeking to orchestrate an immediate return to Bundesliga prominence after hiring the experienced Armin Veh as head coach, with the club reacting to a dramatic breakdown in the second half of last season.

The 1,90 meter, 75 kg defensive specialist, Marco Russ is only 25 years old but has already amassed 159 Bundesliga appearances, in which he has scored 13 goals, often with long-distance shots.

Russ follows his former Eintracht teammate midfielder Patrick Ochs (28) to first league hopeful VfL Wolfsburg and their new manager, Felix Magath, who has been assigned the job of leading the former champions back to form after a disappointing performance in 2010-2011.

With this latest signing, Magath further reinforces a Wolfsburg defensive unit already boasting Germany internationals Arne Friedrich (32) and Marcel Schafer (27), Denmark center-back Simon Kjaer (22), Alexander Madlung (29), Peter Pekarik (24) and former Bayern München legend Hasan "Brazzo" Salihamidzic (34), who recently joined the club coming from Juventus.

True to his footballing philosophy, Felix Magath has quickly moved to stabilize Wolfsburg's porous back line, and Marco Russ is expected to help fill a gap left by the recent departures of Andrea Barzagli (to Juve), Sascha Riether (to Koln) and Jan Simunek (to Kaiserslautern).

The Hanau native Russ quietly evolved into a dependable and fast-paced defender at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he has played ever since 1996. He is very effective in the air, tackles well and can play center- /right-back, adding explosive offensive bursts to the rich arsenal of weapons Wolfsburg can now throw at their opponents.

Considering that the "Volkswagen Club" already possesses an impressive attack with Patrick Helmes, Mario Mandzukic, Tuncay and newly signed Srdjan Lakic, Wolfsburg now looks well prepared to tackle the new season.

If South Korean international Ja-Cheol Koo (22), Poland hopeful Mateusz Klich (21) and Venezuelan talent Yohandry Orozco (20) can live up to their expectations, Felix Magath will have assembled a very deep and talented roster to complement the likes of Brazilian international Josue, Denmark international Thomas Kahlenberg, Japan's Makoto Hasebe and Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.

All said, it should come as no surprise if Magath succeeds in turning around the "Wolve's" fortunes, contending for a top five finish in the coming Bundesliga to qualify at least for UEFA Europe League competition.

It is not totally out of the question that VfL Wolfsburg might even come up with a Champions League berth if Magath succeeds in restoring the former physical dominance and tactical order, which helped the team hijack the Bundesliga Championship only three years ago.