Official | Augsburg captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw signs contract extension | OneFootball

Veteran Dutch defender Jeffrey Gouweleeuw is signed up for another season of Bundesliga football. Augsburg confirmed on Thursday that the 33-year-old signed an automatic extension clause linked to a set number of appearances, had been triggered. Gouweleeuw has made a total of 24 appearances across all competitions for the Fuggerstädter this year.

Gouweleeuw’s redemption saga continues

Stripped of his captaincy in the summer of 2023, the Dutch centre-back was set to depart the German club he served since 2016 on an expiring contract at the end of last season. Former FCA head coach Enrico Maaßen had no plans for him and he wasn’t even selected for the matchday squad during the first three games of the 2023/24 season.

In a moment that German football lovers will never forget, however, Maaßen turned to him during the second-half of a matchday four encounter against RB Leipzig and trusted him to start the following week against Mainz. Gouweleeuw – after turning in an excellent performance in a narrow win over the Rheinhessen – gave an emotional post-match interview in which he professed his love of the club.

Augsburg opted to reverse course and extend with Gouweleeuw in January 2024. This past summer, Gouweleeuw’s captaincy was restored following the departure of skipper Ermedin Demirovic to Stuttgart. The extension effectively guarantees that Gouweleeuw will surpass Daniel Baier’s record of 274 Augsburg appearances. At present, Gouweleeuw has made 260 appearances for the Bavarian Swabians.

“Jeff has been a constant in our team throughout the current season and our captain leads by example,” FCA sporting director Marinko Jurendic noted in a club statement. “In the past few years, the way in which he’s handled himself means he deserves this. We are delighted that Jeff will remain at FCA and continue to act as a leading player on and off the pitch next season.”

“I’ve always emphasised how comfortable I am in Augsburg with my family,” the player himself added. “I’m thus really happy that I’ll be able to wear the FCA shirt and go into my tenth season in Augsburg beyond this season. It’s not that common these days for a player to stay at one club for so long without interruption. It’s something special for me and it really makes me proud.”

GGFN | Peter Weis