Loan Duo Join Rapid on Deadline Day

Two new attacking reinforcements join SK Rapid on deadline day: With Ercan Kara and Andrija Radulović, two attacking players have been brought in on loan for the rest of the season shortly before the closing of the winter transfer window. For the 29-year-old Kara, who is on loan from Turkish first division club Samsunspor, it is a return to his old haunts. Andrija Radulović also comes in on loan from FK Vojvodina Novi Sad.

 Ercan Kara will wear the number 99 shirt, and Andrija Radulović the number 49 for SK Rapid! 

37-goal striker back in Hütteldorf

Seven-time international Kara started his adventure abroad from Hütteldorf in January 2022. After two successful years at SK Rapid, where he scored a total of 37 goals in 84 competitive matches, Ercan decided to move overseas to MLS side Orlando City in the USA. In Florida, the Vienna native celebrated the first club title of his professional career by winning the US Open Cup. After 53 games (18 goals; 4 assists) for Orlando City, he returned to Europe with Samsunspor in autumn 2023. In 34 appearances in the Turkish Süper Lig, the striker scored five goals and provided two assists. After 1106 days, Ercan Kara, who was also selected for the 2021 Bundesliga team of the season, is back at SK Rapid on loan.

Managing Director of Sport Markus Katzer on the recall of Ercan Kara: "Ercan is a former and perhaps soon to be future national team player, he knows the club we'll and had a very successful time at Rapid, so it's only natural that we've been looking at him from time to time. But in order to realise a transfer or a loan, several factors always have to come together. Now the conditions have fallen into place very well. After Ryan Mmaee’s loan was ended, we still had to do something for the attack, so we're all the happier that we've now been able to bring in Ercan on loan. He won't need much time to get up to speed, as he knows the league inside out.”

Montenegrin international boosts the offense

The five-time Montenegrin international Andrija Radulović, born on July 3rd 2002, made his debut in the Serbian top flight in June 2020 at the tender age of 17 and scored from the penalty spot in his first professional match for his home club Red Star Belgrade, under coach Dejan Stanković. In the 2022/23 season, the attacking player gained sufficient match practice as a loan player with the clubs Mladnost GAT Novi Sad and Radnick Sudurlica, who were playing in the Serbian Super League at the time (39 competitive matches with ten goals), before moving permanently to FK Vojvodina Novi Sad in the summer of 2023. He quickly established himself as a regular in the country's second-largest city and has made 60 competitive appearances to date, scoring ten goals.

Managing Director of Sport Markus Katzer said of the new Rapidler: "Andrija Radulović is a highly talented player who attracted the interest of numerous major European clubs as a teenager. He is an agile winger who is also technically very gifted and has qualities on both flanks. He still has great potential to improve further and has the footballing skills to really take off with us."

The 22-year-old will start training immediately, but as a non-EU citizen, the date of his debut is still dependent on the issuing of his work permit.