Bundesliga News

Mainz sign Norwegian central defender to long-term deal

By Peter Weis   @PeterVicey

FSV Mainz 05 have signed their sought-after central defender; a player with whom there had been no previously established links.
Andreas Hanche-Olsen
Andreas Hanche-OlsenFSV Mainz 05
The stated desire of FSV Mainz 05 to procure another central defender led to links with many players well known in German football. On Friday morning, the Rheinhessen introduced something of a surprise signing to shore up their defensive ranks. Norwegian center-halve Andreas Hanche-Olsen will be headed to the Pfalz on a transfer from KAA Gent.


The 25-year-old has made 107 competitive appearances for the Belgian side since transferring from Stabæk Fotbal on deadline day in October of 2020. As a regular starter in the Jupiler Pro League, Hanche-Olsen's estimated market value has risen from €900,000 to €3.5 million in the transfermarkt listings.

At present, there is no information available about how much Mainz paid for the 14-times-capped international. FSV head-coach Bo Svensson and club sporting director Martin Schmidt did confirm that they had been scouting Hanche-Olsen for quite some time. The club announced that the new player had signed a "long-term-deal."

"With Andreas, we were again lucky to sign a player whom we absolutely wanted and who also absolutely wanted to come to Mainz 05," Svensson noted in a statement accompanying the signing, " "He is a Norwegian international in his footballing prime. He's physically strong and fast. Additionally, Andreas is a real leader-type who has served as a captain in Norway at a young age."

In his own statement, Schmidt said that the FSV front office had been "considering bringing in Andreas last summer" and called him an "ideal player for the future perspective of the club."




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