Rising US star Sargent signs Bremen extension
BERLIN: Josh Sargent, who has been compared to Germany star Thomas Mueller, is the latest US teen to impress in the Bundesliga with the 19-year-old extending his Werder Bremen contract on Tuesday.
Bremen have not specified the length of the new deal, but according to reports, Sargent’s contract now runs until 2022, a reward for an impressive first season in the Bundesliga.
The centre-forward is the latest US youngster to make the grade in Germany, following in the path of Christian Pulisic, 20, who will leave Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund for Chelsea at the end of the season.
“I feel honoured,” said Sargent, who has scored two goals in six appearances for the USA since making his international debut in May 2018.
“The contract renewal shows the confidence the club has in me, I felt at home at Werder and in Bremen from the first day and I am looking forward to the coming years.”
Having joined Bremen’s reserves in January 2018 from US side St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri, Sargent made the step up to the first team on the back of seven goals and two assists in 12 games in the fourth tier of German football.
This season, he has scored twice in nine Bundesliga appearances and started his first league game last Friday in a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart.
“We are very happy with Josh’s development. He is part of the future at Werder,” said Bremen’s director of sport Frank Baumann.
Sargent has been described by US head coach Gregg Berhalter as a mix of “Thomas Mueller and Ulf Kirsten” - respectively current and former Germany stars known for terrorising defences.
He has also impressed Bremen’s head coach Florian Kohfeldt.
“Anyone who sees Josh in the changing room, in training or on matchday, will recognise not just a very talented young player, but also someone who observes and wants to learn,” said Kohfeldt. - AFP