Union pick up Wolfsburg's Roussillon
Bundesliga veteran Jerome Roussillon has, rather surprisingly, found a taker for his services in the form of 1. FC Union Berlin.
In a sudden transfer confirmation few would have predicted, VfL Wolfsburg bench-warmer Jerome Roussillon switched over to Berlin's Köpenick side on Thursday evening. The 30-year-old fullback sat on an expiring contract after four-and-a-half years. It had long been confirmed that die Autostädter had no intentions of renewing with him.
Like so many Bundesliga elder statesmen, such as Roussillon's former VfL teammate Robin Knoche for example, the East Berlin "Eisernen" were willing to take a chance. Terms of the transfer fee or Roussillon's new contract were not disclosed. Roussillon gives FCU trainer Urs Fischer another option at left fullback/wingback behind Niko Gießelmann.
"With Jerome we not only get more depth in the squad, but at the same time depth with high quality," Union manager Oliver Ruhnert noted in a statement accompanying the signing, "In the second half of the season with a lot of games on the national and international stage, this high quality across the roster will prove essential."
"After four and a half years in Wolfsburg, I'm now looking forward to a new challenge," the Frenchman himself added, "I've seen the stadium and the Union fans a few times and I'm really looking forward to it. I want to get the most out of myself here and, in the process, help achieve the best with Union."
Roussillon almost fits perfectly with Union's common transfer strategy. Namely, finding Bundesliga veterans who no longer play a prominent role with their club and signing them on the cheap. Roussillon lost out to current WOB starter Paulo Otavio this season and made only four relief appearances for Germany's green company team.
The former Montpelier man still made a total of 107 league appearances with die Wölfe. His peak market value of €20 million began declining along with his appearances from January 2020 onwards. Roussillon - together with Gießelmann, recently re-signed captain Christopher Trimmel, and Julian Ryerson - gives Fischer four natural wingback choices on both flanks.
Bienvenue à Köpenick, Jérôme! 🥳#fcunion pic.twitter.com/ziA9fiwBeb
— 1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion) January 12, 2023