St. Pauli extend with veteran Danish striker

Newly promoted Bundesliga side FC St.Pauli have decided to take 34-year-old Danish striker Andreas Albers with them to the German top flight. The Skive-native has been playing in Germany since moving south to SSV Jahn Regensburg in 2019. He ended up scoring 36 goals second division goals with the Bavarian "Rothosen" before joining Hamburg's "Kiezkicker" last summer. 

Albers essentially played no role in St. Pauli's promotion campaign. He scored one goal in 17 (mostly relief) 2. Bundesliga appearances last year. It was such that his expiring contract was not renewed. St. Pauli nevertheless confirmed an about-face on Thursday. Club personnel boss Andreas Bornemann explained the reasoning behind the shift in perspective in a club statement. 

"Andreas has built up an impeccable reputation here and is highly respected by the entire team," Bornemann noted in a statement published on the club's website, "This was the basis for extending the collaboration."

"Andreas Albers is an experienced center forward who can also help us in the Bundesliga," newly appointed trainer Alexander Blessin added, "this is thanks to his personality, positive attitude and strong identification with the club."

"I'm delighted to be staying at FC St. Pauli for the coming season after promotion," Albers himself said, "I want to use my experience to help the team on and off the pitch."