Werder Bremen have signed Aron Johannsson, the club have confirmed.

The American international striker joins Bremen from Dutch Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar for a fee that NBC Sports have speculated to be in the region of $5 million, or £3.2 million, though neither club has announced it's official sum.

Johannsson signs a four-year deal with the Bundesliga outfit and will wear the number nine shirt.

Club full of praise for their new signing

Speaking to Bremen's official website, the club's chief executive, Thomas Eichin, expressed his delight with the signing, even saying that Johannsson was Werder's "top choice for the vacant striker's position."

Last season's main striking outlet, Franco di Santo, left the club to join Bundesliga rivals Schalke 04 last month, and thus Werder were keen to replace his goals as quickly as possible, and they have done now by recruiting the 24-year-old from the Netherlands.

Eichin said that the club are "really happy" that the player chose Werder, and he believes that Johannsson will "fit in incredibly well with the team, both on and off the field."

Sporting director Rouven Schroder also gave his opinion on the signing, saying that, "despite his size," Johannsson standing at six foot tall, the player "is a very mobile striker" and one "who scored goals at an excellent rate for Alkmaar," with him leaving the Eredivisie side boasting a total of 39 in just 71 games. 

Schroder is happy to have acquired a player with "valuable international experience" and experience "playing in the Europa League," whilst his young age means he has the "potential to improve further" and "continue his positive career trajectory" with Werder.

Johannsson also happy with the move

Johannsson also spoke to his new club's website, saying that he believes the move to Werder is "the right step for [him] to continue [his] development."

Having started his career in Iceland, where many of his family are from despite him being born in the States, and then progressing steadily to play in Denmark and, most recently, the Netherlands, a move to Germany and one of Europe's top five leagues can certainly help him become a better player, without throwing him in the deep end.

The 24-year-old concluded by adding that Werder "is a big club" and that he will "give everything" he has "to develop further as a player and to contribute to the team's success."

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About the author
Amee Ruszkai
Head of the Sunderland, Swansea City and women football sections at VAVEL UK. Email: [email protected]