Daniel Schwaab has left VfB Stuttgart to join Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on a free transfer.
The 27-year-old has signed a three year contract with the Eredivisie side, and the moves see him swap playing in the 2. Bundesliga next season with the prospect of Champions League football.
Schwaab leaves Stuttgart after three years with the club, and joined up immediately with his new teammates to travel to a pre-season training camp in Switzerland.
Replacement for Wolfsburg new boy Bruma
Schwaab revealed that a conversation with Director of Football Marcel Brands “convinced” him to join the club. “He explained to me how PSV want to play, in a way I like to play. That’s why I’ve made this step,” he explained.
Brands said that the defender had been on the club’s radar for some time, and came close to joining the club before eventually signing for Stuttgart.
They continued to follow his progress, and following the departure of Jeffrey Bruma to VfL Wolfsburg, they made their move. “We are delighted that he has signed here,” he said.
Schwaab becomes the fifth German to play for PSV, following Horst Nussbaum, Horst Dieter Strich, Jean Willrich and Georg Koch.
A return to the Champions League on the cards
Schwaab, who can play as both a right back and central defender, started his career with Freiburg, helping them to the 2. Bundesliga title before making a move to Bayer Leverkusen in 2009.
He was part of Germany’s European Under-21 Championship winning side that summer, however he made only one appearance as a substitute in the final against England.
After making 96 league appearances for Leverkusen, he joined Stuttgart in 2013, going on to play 93 games for the Swabians, including 29 times in the season just gone, which saw Stuttgart relegated.
With his contract having expired at the end of the season, Schwaab was free to seek a new challenge, and whilst the Eredivisie may be seen as a step down, the opportunity to play in the Champions League again, following five appearances in the competition with Leverkusen, will no doubt be one he’s looking forward to.