The VfL Wolfsburg squad for the new season is continuing to take shape: on Monday, the Wolves presented former Croatia U21 captain Bartol Franjic as their fourth signing of the summer. The versatile midfielder joins from Croatian top-flight club Dinamo Zagreb on a five-year contract until 2027. The 22-year-old will wear the number 38 shirt for the Green-and-Whites.
Young, experienced, versatile
The 1.86-metre Croatian fits VfL’s requirement profile perfectly. “Although Bartol is still young, he already has a lot of experience for both club and country, and has performed consistently. He can be used in many different defensive roles, he defends well and his build-up play is good,” said VfL sporting director Marcel Schäfer of the new signing.
Franjic, meanwhile, can’t wait to get started in his new surroundings: “I’m very happy that the transfer to VfL Wolfsburg has been completed. For me it’s the right point in time to take on a new challenge, and it’s always been my dream to play in the Bundesliga. I can’t think of a better club to do that at than VfL Wolfsburg. The conversations with the VfL management convinced me straight away. Now my focus is firstly on getting to know my new teammates, and then working hard so that I can improve and celebrate successes with VfL.”
Dinamo Zagreb product
It’s a first move away from home for the Zagreb native, who progressed through the academy into the first team at Dinamo. He went on to make 84 appearances in all competitions, including 18 in the Europa League and six in Champions League qualifying, scoring one goal. In addition, he’s represented the Croatian under-21 team 10 times (one goal), and has also captained the side. VfL had previously signed Jakub Kaminski, Patrick Wimmer and Kilian Fischer ahead of the new season.
