Wolfsburg captain eager to remain and re-assert: "I want to show everyone that I'm still here"
VfL Wolfsburg captain Joshua Guilavogui recently rejoined his team's full training sessions after an ill-timed bout of COVID.
Speaking to the local Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, the 30-year-old Frenchmen made clear that he wished to remain with the club he's captained for the past three seasons.
As he prepares to begin his eighth consecutive campaign in the "Autostadt", Joshua Guilavogui expressed his desire to still serve as skipper for Germany's green company team. Given the captain's armband by then trainer Bruno Labbadia just prior to the 2018/19 season, the French international as never formally stripped of the captaincy during two seasons under new head-coach Oliver Glasner. He nevertheless declined in relevance, particularly during the second half of the season just completed.
Speaking to the local Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, the 30-year-old Frenchmen made clear that he wished to remain with the club he's captained for the past three seasons.
Glasner's system utilized Maximilian Arnold and Xaver Schlager in a double-six midfield set-up. This left no room for the 30-year-old defensive midfielder, who also lost any hope of playing at center back with the emergence of the Maxence Lacroix/John Anthony Brooks duo. Guilavogui made just one start during the second half of 2020/21. After the season concluded, he declared himself relieved that Glasner departed for Frankfurt and called his relationship with the former gaffer "the worst of my professional career."
It remains unclear what sort of role Guilavogui will play under new trainer Mark van Bommel. In speaking with the Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung on Monday, the captain acknowledged that a transfer could be in the cards. The player already faces what one assumes will be stiff competition for the armband. Teammate Arnold, one of three overaged players Stefan Kuntz will be taking to the Tokyo Olympics, is rumored to be Kuntz's favorite to captain Germany.
"We'll have to see what's best for me and the team," Guilavogui told the newspaper, "but I want to show everyone that I'm still here. My desire is to stay in Wolfsburg. I have a good relationship with the club and the fans. As I've always said, it's an honor to captain to the VfL. I'll take the competition and prove my quality to the coach and the team."