Samuel Essende joins Augsburg on four-year deal

FCA strengthen in attack

FC Augsburg have bolstered their attacking arsenal with the signing of Congolese international Samuel Essende. The 26-year-old joins from Portuguese side FC Vizela following their relegation from the Primeira Liga, and has signed a contract which will see him tied to the club until 30th June 2028. All parties involved have agreed that the details of the transfer will remain undisclosed.

Essende, born in the French town of Montfermeil, came through the youth ranks at Paris Saint-Germain and scored 15 goals in the Portuguese top flight last season. The 6’4” forward previously played for Caen and Pau in France, as well as in the Belgian first division with KAS Eupen. He made his debut for DR Congo at the beginning of this month in a 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with Senegal.

Moving into Europe’s top five leagues

“I’m really looking forward to my time at FC Augsburg and in the Bundesliga. The management at FCA have invested a lot of effort into recruiting me and have offered me a very exciting opportunity. The Bundesliga is a great league and I’m looking forward to playing here,” says Essende.

“Samuel is an athletic striker who will add more variety to our forward play with his pace and dynamism. He has made steady progress over the past few years and is now a full international. He will now take the next step into a top five league with Augsburg. We’re looking forward to working with Samuel and wish him every success at FCA,” said sporting director Marinko Jurendic.