Christopher Lannert, Arminia Bielefeld's 28-year-old German-Romanian right-back and vice-captain, is transferring to Darmstadt 98 after brief negotiations. His departure follows that of captain Mael Corboz and is considered a significant loss for the club, where Lannert was a key performer over the last three years. Sporting managing director Michael Mutzel stated that Lannert approached him at short notice with his desire to transfer. After intensive discussions in recent days, Mutzel said he could understand the player's reasons. He noted that letting him go was a very difficult decision due to Lannert's significant role in the club's success, but they did not want to prevent the move. Lannert expressed his thanks to everyone at Arminia for what he described as an incredible time together, which he said made the move difficult. He explained that a new sporting perspective had opened up that he was determined to pursue and was grateful to the club's officials for allowing his transfer request.