Kiel confirm Lewis Holtby as new captain

Following previous captain Philipp Sander's move to Borussia Mönchengladbach early this offseason, newly promoted Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel have found themselves in need of a new skipper. On Friday it was confirmed that 33-year-old midfielder Lewis Holtby will have the privilege of captaining the Storks in their very first season in the German top flight. 

The thrice-capped German international has been serving Kiel since signing with them ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. He's made a total of 81 appearances for the team over the past three seasons, netting seven goals for the KSV. Holtby also brings with him the experience of 200 German top flight appearances for Schalke, Bochum, Hamburger SV, and Mainz. He's scored a total of 26 Bundesliga goals for those five clubs.

The son of a British soldier stationed near Gladbach, Holtby has also accrued significant EPL experience over his long journeyman career. He featured 38 times in England's top flight whilst playing for London-sides Tottenham and Fulham. Most recently before joining Kiel, Holtby spent two seasons with Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Championship. 

"I'm very happy about the position," Holtby was quoted as saying on a statement released on the club's website, "It's a great honor for me to be able to lead Holstein Kiel as captain this season. We will play a passionate season as a team."