News Focus
- Alexis Claude-Maurice wins FC Augsburg’s Player of the Season award after receiving half of the votes from writers.
- The French attacking midfielder scored five goals and provided four assists during the campaign.
- FC Augsburg secured ninth place in the Bundesliga, their highest position since the Markus Weinzierl era.
- Manager Manuel Baum has signed a permanent contract until 2028 following a strong end to the season.
- Reports suggest the club may sell Claude-Maurice this summer with his contract expiring in 2026.
French playmaker Alexis Claude-Maurice has claimed the top individual prize at FC Augsburg following an impressive campaign in the Bundesliga. The 27-year-old comfortably beat goalkeeper Finn Dahmen to the award, despite finding the net four times fewer than he managed during his debut season with the Bavarian club.
The 2024/25 season marked a significant improvement for Augsburg. While one of Germany’s established top-flight teams dropped to the second division, the WWK Arena side secured a top-half finish for the first time in more than ten years. Their ninth-place standing represents their strongest league position since former manager Markus Weinzierl led them to Europa League qualification.
Manuel Baum, who previously replaced Weinzierl, returned to the dugout this term following a difficult start under Sandro Wagner. The 46-year-old initially served as interim boss but has now earned a permanent deal running until the summer of 2028. His leadership helped steady the ship and drive the team up the table during the second half of the season.
Claude-Maurice played a vital role in this revival, though his impact came mainly after the winter break. An ankle injury kept him out of the opening two matches, and he recorded zero direct goal involvements before the Christmas interval. However, he sparked into life following the restart, scoring in consecutive draws against Union Berlin and SC Freiburg.
The former Nice midfielder netted five times in total, including four opening goals at the WWK Arena. All his strikes came in front of home supporters, where Augsburg remained formidable opponents. He also contributed four assists in victories over FC St. Pauli and VfL Wolfsburg, though he did miss a crucial penalty against TSG Hoffenheim that would have secured three points.
Swiss winger Fabian Rieder finished second in the voting with two votes after a successful loan spell from Stade Rennais. The remaining votes were shared between Dahmen, defender Noahkai Banks, and striker Michael Gregoritsch. The Austrian forward proved particularly prolific after rejoining the club in January, scoring six goals to finish as joint-top scorer alongside Rieder and young talent Anton Kade.