A defender with an eye for goal: Schlotterbeck in focus

More than 100 Bundesliga appearances under his belt

In Keven Schlotterbeck, FC Augsburg have signed a defender who is strong in the air and in the tackle. The experienced player, who previously featured for Bochum, Freiburg and Union Berlin, will now bring these qualities to the Fuggerstädter. We’re taking a closer look at our new signing.

Schlotterbeck was born on 28th April 1997 in Weinstadt near Stuttgart. He began his career in youth teams of Stuttgarter Kickers, TSG Backnang and VfL Kirchheim. In 2017, he moved to SC Freiburg and initially featured for the U23 side, before the 1.89-metre-tall centre-back made his Bundesliga debut the following season.

After a successful loan spell at Union Berlin, where he made 27 appearances in all competitions, Schlotterbeck returned to his parent club for the 2020/21 season. Upon his return to Freiburg, the towering centre-half played a further 38 league games, as well as featuring in both the Europa League and in Germany’s squad for the Tokyo Olympics. In January of last year, he was again sent out on loan – this time to VfL Bochum, where he has spent the last 18 months. “Schlotti” proved to be a threat from set pieces last season, scoring five goals and setting up three more to mark himself out as one of Germany’s most prolific defenders. Schlotterbeck’s play was not limited to his aerial ability, however: the 27-year-old could also boast a 60% challenge success rate, and found a teammate with 74% of his passes.

Despite his strong performances, Bochum could only manage a 16th place finish in the Bundesliga, and had to come through a play-off with Fortuna Düsseldorf to secure safety. After a 3-0 loss in the first leg, Bochum dramatically managed to send the tie to penalties, where Schlotterbeck converted with aplomb to help his side to victory.

On Friday, Schlotterbeck signed a three-year deal which will see him remain at FC Augsburg until 2027. “This is exactly the sort of step I’ve been wanting to take,” said the defender, who watched on the following day as brother Nico started Germany’s 2-0 win over Denmark in the European Championship round of 16.