Lustenau, July 1, 2026
The 19-year-old Nigerian forward Precious Benjamin is moving on loan for one season from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to Austrian first-division promoted side Austria Lustenau.
The center forward Precious Benjamin is joining Austrian Bundesliga club Austria Lustenau for one year. He comes from German club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, where he has been under contract since February 2025 but has not yet been fielded. As the club announced, the attacking player is to take the next step in his development in Lustenau.
During the past spring season, the 19-year-old was already active in the Austrian Bundesliga as a loan player. He played nine matches for SCR Altach. Afterward, he was unable to establish himself at his parent club Hoffenheim: in seven brief appearances, Benjamin accumulated 103 minutes of playing time in the Bundesliga.
Born in Nigeria, the player is a natural center forward and will be deployed primarily in attack at Lustenau. His current market value is estimated at around 250,000 euros. At Austria Lustenau, which secured promotion to the Bundesliga last season, Benjamin is now expected to regularly gain playing time at top-flight level.
Background at Altach
Lustenau's sporting director Dieter Alge expressed his delight at the new signing. "Mit Precious gewinnen wir einen jungen, sehr talentierten Spieler, der großes Potenzial mitbringt und perfekt zu unserer Philosophie passt. Wir sind überzeugt, dass er bei uns die optimalen Voraussetzungen vorfindet, um den nächsten Schritt in seiner Entwicklung zu machen", said Alge.
Voices on the transfer
The player himself also spoke motivated. "Ich will meinen Teil dazu beitragen, dass wir eine erfolgreiche Saison spielen werden und kann es kaum erwarten, loszulegen", said Benjamin. Preparations for the new season in Austria are already underway, with league play set to begin in a few weeks.
Coach Markus Mader, who led Austria Lustenau to promotion, is also counting on young talents in his squad of 25 players. With last year's transfer of Asumah Abubakar, the Vorarlberg side had already pursued a similar strategy of deliberately integrating young players from abroad.
Background conditions at Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim, meanwhile, which plays under Christian Ilzer and has a squad of 40 players, recently signed forward Yannick Eduardo. In the Bundesliga standings, the Hoffenheim side occupies fifth place. For the club, loaning out Benjamin once again is a way to give the player further match practice without a permanent commitment.
The transfer is a classic win-win scenario: Hoffenheim retains the player under contract without having to block him in its own squad. Lustenau picks up an additional attacking talent. For Benjamin, after his spell at Altach, it is now his second time heading to Vorarlberg – and thus to a familiar league in which he has already proven himself.
Austria Lustenau plans to officially present Benjamin in the coming days. His competitive debut in Lustenau colors could come as early as the first matchday of the new Bundesliga season.