Josuha Guilavogui to leave VfL at the end of the season / Discussions ongoing about different role in future.
A significant chapter in VfL's history will come to a close at the end of the current season. Josuha Guilavogui, who for a number of years has been one of VfL Wolfsburg's key players, influential figures and club captain, will leave the Green-and-Whites for an as yet unknown destination.
"Josh is the kind of player whose value cannot be measured by numbers alone," said VfL managing director Marcel Schäfer. "He has achieved great things over a long period of time, both on and off the pitch. With his commitment and his exemplary mentality, he is a shining example of the values of VfL Wolfsburg. We will miss him as a footballer, as a person and also as a cheerful character in the dressing room. At the same time, of course, we respect his wish to take on a new challenge and to get more playing time than he has had of late."
Arnold the only longer-serving player
Guilavogui joined the Wolves in summer 2014, meaning he is the longest-serving player in the first team squad after Maximilian Arnold. The seven-time France international, who arrived in Wolfsburg from Atletico Madrid and won the DFB Cup and Supercup with VfL in his first season, has experienced highs and lows in his nine campaigns at the club, interrupted only by a six-month loan to Girondins Bordeaux.
I will leave VfL with a smile on my face and until then I'll enjoy every day that I'm still here. Long romances don't always end well, but I'm lucky to be one of the privileged few who leave with smiling eyes when the time comes to say goodbye
Josuha GuilavoguiIn 2016 he helped VfL reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, and in 2017 and 2018 he was part of the team that successfully battled against relegation. The 32-year-old midfielder, who was team captain for a number of years, has played 258 competitive games across five competitions for the club, scoring 12 goals in the process. Last weekend he became only the fifth player in history to play his 200th Bundesliga game for VfL, following on from Arnold, Schäfer, Diego Benaglio and Koen Casteels. Talks are ongoing about a possible role at VfL when he hangs up his boots for good.
"My head is full of memories"
Guilavogui: "I will leave VfL with a smile on my face and until then I'll enjoy every day that I'm still here. Long romances don't always end well, but I'm lucky to be one of the privileged few who leave with smiling eyes when the time comes to say goodbye. I would like to thank VfL Wolfsburg for a wonderful and educational time in which I was able to experience a great deal. My head is full of memories and as the saying goes: our story book will always stay open, we're just turning a page."
