VfL Wolfsburg is now in a completely own world. The relegation from the Bundesliga should have been a deep cut, but on the transfer market, a different picture emerges. While most second-division teams have to turn every euro twice, VfL is assembling a squad in a dimension that even the other fallen giants like HSV, Schalke 04 or 1. FC Köln can only dream of. 22.7 million euros have been invested in new players by the Lower Saxons this summer. The remarkable thing about it: all 17 competitors come together with publicly known transfer fees of just under 19 million euros. A single second-division team is currently spending more on new players than the entire rest of the league. The actions of the VfL bosses raise the question: is this still normal competition or already competition distortion? Does Wolfsburg shift the power dynamics of the 2. Bundesliga with its financial possibilities? ## What does the transfer of Fabian Reese to Wolfsburg mean? Hardly any transfer illustrates the special situation better than that of Fabian Reese. Eight million euros were transferred by Wolfsburg to Hertha BSC for the former captain and the club's flagship. Reese was one of the outstanding players in the 2. Bundesliga in the past few years. For Hertha, he played 91 official games, scored 35 goals and prepared 31 more. Wolfsburg's sports director Pirmin Schwegler described him at the time of his signing as 'one of the strongest players in the 2. Bundesliga'. For Reese himself, the decision was by no means easy. 'The decision to change was not easy for me, as one can understand,' he explained after signing. The way the VfL approached him, the professional conditions and 'the values of the club, Volkswagen and the people around' played a decisive role in his decision. Reese had become an identification figure in the capital in the past few years, a face for the new Berlin, which wanted to get closer to its fans and its city again after years of chaos. How close this connection had become was only shown last year. In November 2025, Reese extended his contract prematurely until 2030. Hertha staged the signing with an extraordinary action: 'It was no secret that we wanted to bind Fabi long-term to the club. In addition, Fabi identifies himself one hundred percent with Hertha BSC,' said sports director Benjamin Wieber at the time. The message was hardly to be misunderstood: this player should not be just an employee. Reese should remain the face of the club and its city. His own words also left little doubt about this special connection. Reese lived Hertha as his heart's club and said he had a lot more to do in Berlin. The long-term extension until 2030 seemed like a commitment far beyond the usual football business. Not even a year later, this story is over. And it's a direct competitor from the 2. Bundesliga who ends it. Wolfsburg lays down eight million euros on the table and signs a player that Hertha had publicly made a symbol of its future just a few months ago. ## What does it mean for VfL Wolfsburg? VfL Wolfsburg is now in a completely own world. The relegation from the Bundesliga should have been a deep cut, but on the transfer market, a different picture emerges. While most second-division teams have to turn every euro twice, VfL is assembling a squad in a dimension that even the other fallen giants like HSV, Schalke 04 or 1. FC Köln can only dream of. 22.7 million euros have been invested in new players by the Lower Saxons this summer. The remarkable thing about it: all 17 competitors come together with publicly known transfer fees of just under 19 million euros. A single second-division team is currently spending more on new players than the entire rest of the league. The actions of the VfL bosses raise the question: is this still normal competition or already competition distortion? Does Wolfsburg shift the power dynamics of the 2. Bundesliga with its financial possibilities? ## What comes next? VfL Wolfsburg must prepare itself for the challenges of the 2. Bundesliga. The relegation from the Bundesliga should have been a deep cut, but on the transfer market, a different picture emerges. While most second-division teams have to turn every euro twice, VfL is assembling a squad in a dimension that even the other fallen giants like HSV, Schalke 04 or 1. FC Köln can only dream of. 22.7 million euros have been invested in new players by the Lower Saxons this summer. The remarkable thing about it: all 17 competitors come together with publicly known transfer fees of just under 19 million euros. A single second-division team is currently spending more on new players than the entire rest of the league. The actions of the VfL bosses raise the question: is this still normal competition or already competition distortion? Does Wolfsburg shift the power dynamics of the 2. Bundesliga with its financial possibilities?