Swansea City have signed Hannes Wolf on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach for the remainder of the season.
The Swans have been determined to bolster their attacking options in the January transfer window, particularly given Jamie Paterson's contract stand-off with the club's owners.
And they have recruited 22-year-old Wolf on loan for the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.
"It’s a really exciting one," said boss Russell Martin when asked about Wolf in his pre-Preston press conference.
"After speaking to Hannes, we were put on the radar by his agent who really likes the style of play here. He is someone I’ve dealt with previously and he said it probably won’t happen, it’s probably unlikely because of the player’s pedigree and where he’s at at the moment, but he said he might be available.
"We looked at him and realised we’d definitely like him. Somehow the deal has been made to happen which is great. Financially it’s not outside what we can spend. Hannes is someone else who has had to sacrifice money to be here with the situation at his club.
"He’s only here because of the style of play we presented to him, he was really excited and he decided this is the place he wants to play football. That’s the importance of having clarity in the style and seeing it on the pitch.
"We fought off a lot of competition. I think with the amount of competition we beat off, not just in England, but from top leagues across Europe, it’s fantastic for us and I'm really excited by it. Hopefully he shows his pedigree whilst he’s here."
And on Wolf's preferred position, Martin commented: "He can play in numerous positions in attack. Fantastic athlete. Out of possession he’s incredible, what he does for the team. Selfless.
"I spoke to a few people about his character, really top. If anything you have to rein him in at times with how hard he wants to work and how serious he is about his profession.
"I think he’ll bring assists, goals and a real threat. He can play anywhere for us and have an impact."
Following a successful spell with Red Bull Salzburg, Wolf joined RB Leipzig in 2019.
The Austrian failed to gain regular game-time at the Red Bull Arena and, following a loan stint with the club, joined Borussia Mönchengladbach on a permanent deal for a fee in the region of £8m last year.
Wolf has been restricted to just eight appearances in all competitions for Mönchengladbach so far this season - the most recent of which came as a late substitute in his side's 2-1 win over Bochum in October.
The deal for Wolf does not include the option to make the move permanent in the summer, although Swansea would not be in a position to finance a permanent swoop for the attacker regardless.
Wolf will wear the number 13 shirt at Swansea. He is eligible to feature against Preston North End on Saturday.
Swansea remain keen to sign a left wing-back and a striker this month while an additional midfielder may be required, depending on Paterson's situation.
Wolf follows goalkeeper Andy Fisher and defender Cyrus Christie in joining the Swans this month.
The transfer window closes at 11pm on January 31.
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