Max Kruse’s signing came as a surprise to VfL Wolfsburg, but Joshua Guilavogui’s departure did not.
The 31-year-old has played for VfL since 2014, and shortly before the end of the winter transfer window the Frenchman is moving to his homeland to Girondins Bordeaux. With this, the Lower Saxons lose one of their longest-serving professionals.
Leihe mit Kaufoption
Guilavogui himself had submitted the transfer request to VfL officials after seven and a half years with the Wolves. In the first games under Florian Kohfeldt, he was still in the starting eleven, but recently he hardly found any consideration. His contract in the VW city ran until 30 June 2023. Wolfsburg are now loaning out the defensive midfielder until the end of the season, when they have an option to buy him.
Guilavogui stressed that the lack of sporting prospects at the Kohfeldt eleven alone had tipped the scales in favour of a change. “The decision was very difficult for me, because my family and I felt at home in Wolfsburg. Seven and a half years is a very long time for a professional. Therefore, VfL will always have a special place in my heart. The farewell is therefore emotional,” he said in a statement from the Bundesliga fifteenth-placed side.
239 competitive games for VfL
Guilavogui joined VfL on loan from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2014 and quickly established himself as a regular. In his debut year, he celebrated the vice-championship and the cup victory (3:1 against Dortmund) with VfL. In 2016, the defensive player was signed on permanently and was named captain of the Wolves in the summer of 2018. He held this role until the summer of 2021, before making way for Koen Casteels and acting as the Belgian’s deputy from then on. The bottom line is that he has 239 caps in the VfL dress (eleven goals).
