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Magdeburg kicks off the season with ten new signings—Zukowski stays

Magdeburg kicks off the season with ten new signings—Zukowski stays
Mateusz Zukowski (M) continues to score goals for Magdeburg. (File photo) / Photo: Julius Frick/dpa
From: DieSachsen News
After a successful preseason, 1. FC Magdeburg is looking forward with optimism to its season opener against Braunschweig. In addition to ten new signings, the team can continue to count on top scorer Mateusz Zukowski.

Ahead of their season opener against Eintracht Braunschweig, second-division club 1. FC Magdeburg is feeling cautiously optimistic. Following a major shakeup this summer, the new team seems to have gelled just in time for the start of the season. Some experts, such as Felix Kroos, even believe the team from Magdeburg has a shot at a top-6 finish.

Ten new signings have been offset by fifteen departures. The team suffered significant personnel losses, particularly in central defense and midfield. The defensive duo of Marcus Mathisen (FC St. Pauli) and Jean Hugonet (Hannover 96) moved to other clubs within the league, and midfielders Silas Gnaka (ML Vitebsk/Belarus), Dariusz Stalmach (Werder Bremen), and Laurin Ulrich (on loan from VfB Stuttgart) also left. 

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Top scorer Mateusz Zukowski stays

The FCM announced what is arguably the most important personnel decision shortly before the end of preseason: top scorer Mateusz Zukowski signed a new contract through 2029. Shortly thereafter, three more key players—Baris Atik (2029), goalkeeper Dominik Reimann (2029), and veteran Tobias Müller (2028)—extended their contracts; all three had helped Magdeburg secure promotion from the 3rd League in 2022. 

Among the new signings, the Magdeburg club was able to secure not only experienced players such as Emmanuel Iyoha (28 years old/Düsseldorf), Paul Jaeckel (27/Münster), and Anselmo García Mac Nulty (23/Zwolle), they’ve also managed to attract young talent—such as Tony Reitz (21/Dortmund II), Kevin Manthey (19/Werder Bremen II), and the Koreans Chunghyun Lee (18/Bucheon) and Doyoung Yoon (19/Brighton). 

Unbeaten in preseason

In six preseason games, FCM recorded five wins and a 1-1 draw in their final warm-up match against Premier League relegation side West Ham United. The Magdeburg team was particularly pleased with the 2-0 win at SC Paderborn, as the second-division side kept the Bundesliga newcomer in check throughout the entire match.

Coach Petrik Sander was also pleased with the performance in the draw against West Ham: “There were a lot of positive aspects there that we can build on.” What stood out in the match against the English side was a newfound physicality in Magdeburg’s defensive play. This is intended to prevent a similar slow start to last year, when FCM earned only three points from its first eight games.

“The last two friendlies were a good indicator of what lies ahead—and I think we’re well prepared for Braunschweig here at home,” said captain Reimann after the matches against Paderborn and West Ham. However, he didn’t want to look too far ahead: “We’ve always done well by taking it one game at a time. The next game is against Braunschweig, and we want to keep all three points here.”

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