Augsburg restore Gouweleeuw's captaincy: "An honor to lead again."

After being stripped of his captaincy last summer, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw will once again serve as FC Augsburg's skipper. The 33-year-old Dutch center back's fortunes have turned significantly in the past year. At the start of last season, Gouweleeuw was set to depart on an expiring contract and left out of Enrico Maaßen's squad's during the first three match-days of the 2023/24 campaign. He surprisingly reclaimed a starting spot against Mainz on match-day five and was later signed to a most-unexpected contract extension in January.

The FCA veteran became a regular under Jess Thorup's coaching regime and concluded the campaign with 30 league appearances. Gouweleeuw scored one goal and registered one assist in his 29 starts under Thorup. He went the full 90 minutes on all but two occasions. It was widely expected that - following previous skipper Ermedin Demirovic's move to Stuttgart this offseason - Gouweleeuw would receive his armband back. Augsburg confirmed the news on Friday afternoon. The Dutchman prepares to enter his tenth season with the club.

"It's an honor to be able to lead the team onto the pitch as captain again," Gouweleeuw noted in a statement published on the club's website, "I'm delighted that the coach, the club, and my teammates have placed this trust in me."