1. FC Magdeburg have moved to protect their core squad following a difficult relegation battle, with Polish striker Mateusz Żukowski headlining a series of contract extensions that will keep him at the Avnet-Arena until 2029. The 24-year-old, who arrived as a full-back but finished last season with 17 goals in 21 appearances, has committed his future alongside captain Dominik Reimann, defender Tobias Müller and creative midfielder Barış Atik.
The retentions come after Magdeburg preserved their 2. Bundesliga status with a 14th-placed finish in 2025/26. The campaign began disastrously under Markus Fiedler, with the club bottom of the table and winless after eight matchdays. The board turned to an unconventional solution, installing Petrik Sander and Pascal Ibold as co-head coaches. The pairing—combining Sander’s decades of experience with Ibold’s youthful energy at 36—sparked a revival that yielded four points from their first two matches and ultimately 10 points from the final four games of the calendar year.
Squad Turnover and Fresh Arrivals
Despite securing their key players, Magdeburg have undergone significant changes. Danish centre-back Marcus Mathisen has joined relegated St. Pauli, while defensive midfielder Silas Gnaka has moved to Belarusian champions Maxline Vitebsk. The loss of Laurin Ulrich, who returned to parent club Stuttgart after a productive loan in which he missed only one match, could prove particularly costly.
Sporting director Peer Jaekel has not closed the door on a permanent deal for the attacking midfielder. “Laurin Ulrich is and will remain an issue. There is nothing more to say about it at the moment,” he stated at the start of August.
To fill the gaps, the club has recruited Paul Jaeckel and former Irish youth international Anselmo García MacNulty in defence. Former Borussia Dortmund II midfielder Tony Reitz arrives to compete for Gnaka’s role, while wingers Emmanuel Iyoha and Moritz-Broni Kwarteng add depth. Torben Müsel, who narrowly missed promotion with RW Essen, returns to the second tier after nine years, and South Korean youngsters Do-young Yoon and Chung-hyun Lee have joined on loan.
Strong Pre-Season Momentum
The rebuilt squad has enjoyed an encouraging summer, winning their opening five friendly matches before earning a 1-1 draw against Premier League side West Ham at the Avnet-Arena. Falko Michel cancelled out Max Kilman’s opener with a late equaliser in that fixture. New signings made their mark in the penultimate warm-up game, with Iyoha and Jaeckel scoring in a 2-0 victory over Bundesliga newcomers SC Paderborn.
Sander, who last began a season as a head coach in the top three divisions in 2010/11, and Ibold will hope to avoid another relegation scrap when the campaign begins. Their survival formula—blending youthful promise with seasoned leadership—faces an early test as they seek to establish stability from the opening weekend.