Official: Bielefeld sign Castro for season's second half
Arminia Bielefeld confirmed the pickup of former VfB Stuttgart captain Gonzalo Castro early on Tuesday evening.
In confirmation of the reports emerging late last week, Arminia Bielefeld have opted to sign Bundesliga veteran Gonzalo Castro on a short-term contract. The 34-year-old will be on the DSC books at least through the end of the season. Should Bielefeld manage to avoid relegation, Castro will receive an extension.
"My time will be short, yet very intense," Castro said in a statement on the club website, "Lots of talks and activity on the training pitch. It will revolve around pushing the guys so that matters can hopefully continue in the same way its did [in wins] against Bochum and Leipzig."
DSC head-coach Frank Kramer noted that he looked forward to welcoming "a very good footballer equipped with lots of experience." Club sporting director Samir Arabi labelled Castro an "important leadership figure."
Bielefeld, along with most other Bundesliga clubs, will return to the training pitch on December 28th. Castro has not seen Bundesliga action since his contract was not renewed with Stuttgart at the end of last season.
Herzlich Willkommen bei Arminia Bielefeld, Gonzalo Castro! 🥳
— DSC Arminia Bielefeld (@arminia) December 21, 2021
Der 34-jährige Mittelfeldspieler unterzeichnete am Dienstag einen Vertrag bis zum Ende der aktuellen Saison plus Option. Castro läuft zukünftig mit der Rückennummer 7️⃣ für uns auf ⚽#immerdabei pic.twitter.com/se7IQqnk4u
Auf ArminiaClubTV stellen wir euch unseren Neuzugang Gonzalo Castro vor:https://t.co/kxy0panGz7#immerdabei pic.twitter.com/rDTemQ6XY9
— DSC Arminia Bielefeld (@arminia) December 21, 2021