Bundesliga - FC St. Pauli signs defenders Stevens and Guilavogui
Football Bundesligist FC St. Pauli has signed Welsh national team player Fin Stevens and Morgan Guilavogui. The 21-year-old Stevens was one of the candidates for trainer Alexander Blessin and sport chief Andreas Bornemann for the outside defender position. The 26-year-old Guilavogui was the reinforcement that Blessin was looking for in the offensive. The Guinean national player comes on loan from the French first league team RC Lens. The Hamburgers did not disclose any details about the transfer fees in both cases.
"With the signing of Fin Stevens, we are broadening our options on the defensive wings and reacting to the shortcomings at the end of the previous season," Bornemann said in a statement.
Stevens comes from Premier League club FC Brentford. He had been under contract there since 2020. In the previous season, he played in League One on loan at Oxford United and promoted the team to the Championship, the second league. In the first half of 2022, he played five times in the Championship for Swansea City. At FC St. Pauli, he is meant to be an alternative for the currently injured Manolis Saliakas.
Trainer Blessin wanted a physically present player for the offense. "Morgan is a physically strong striker who plays very actively and directly and also offers deep running lanes regularly. He can create chances for himself in direct duels and sets up his teammates well," Blessin said. It is just as important for the playing style of FC St. Pauli in the coming season that "Morgan switches quickly and works defensively very well."
- Fin Stevens' prior clubs include FC Brentford in England's Premier League and Oxford United in the League One, where he helped secure promotion to the Championship.
- Guinea's Morgan Guilavogui, previously with RC Lens in the French first league, is joining FC St. Pauli on loan for the upcoming Bundesliga season.
- Alexander Blessin, the trainer of FC St. Pauli, was on the lookout for a physically present player to bolster the offense and identified Guilavogui as a suitable candidate.
- The 21-year-old Fin Stevens was among the options considered by Blessin and sport chief Andreas Bornemann for the vacant outside defender position.
- The transfer fees for both Fin Stevens and Morgan Guilavogui were not disclosed by FC St. Pauli, keeping the financial terms confidential.
- FC St. Pauli, currently playing in the German Bundesliga, eyes an effective partnership between Stevens and Guilavogui, hoping to capitalize on their versatility and adaptability on the field.
