Brighton & Hove Albion have completed the signing of German central defender Uwe Hunemeier from Bundesliga 2 side SC Paderborn. The 29-year-old passed his medical at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre on Wednesday, and joins Albion on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Manager Chris Hughton said, “I’m delighted to bring in someone of Uwe’s experience. He has played at the top level in German football and we all know how high the standards are there. “He has good leadership qualities, and along with his quality, he will add a great deal to our defensive options. He is of a really good age to integrate into the team and squad. “He is a very popular player at SC Paderborn and it would be easy for him to remain there, but he wants a new challenge, he wants that to be in England and he has shown a great desire to join us.” Photo: Paul Hazlewood Hunemeier rose through the ranks at Borussia Dortmund’s youth academy and made his first-team debut for the German giants against Bayern Munich in December 2005. After six years with Dortmund, the defender made the switch to second-tier Energie Cottbus in July 2010. [...]