Affengruber leaves Elche and sets his sights on Fulham

Elche C.F.

The Premier League will be the Austrian centre-back's next destination, after he belonged to Elche CF until this Tuesday. Neither Southampton FC nor Crystal Palace FC will end up landing the player, as Fulham FC, led by Spanish coach Álvaro Arbeloa, has taken the decisive lead.

The transfer is pending an official announcement, but the deal between the Illicit club and the London side is already in place. Affengruber left Monday's training session early and also did not work with the group during Tuesday's session, signs that pointed to an imminent exit.

The centre-back leaves the Martínez Valero two years after arriving from Sportklub Sturm Graz, where he came through with a free transfer. His signing, in 2024, ended up being a major sporting and financial success for the franjiverde club.

Two heavyweight seasons at the Martínez Valero

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David Affengruber
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Affengruber played 84 official matches for Elche and racked up almost 6,700 minutes on the pitch. During that period, he was a key piece in the club's rise to LaLiga EA Sports and also in the team's subsequent survival in the top flight.

Before his spell in Spain, the defender had played 120 official games for Sturm Graz, with a record of 10 goals and 7 assists across three campaigns. His output in Austria had already brought him to Elche with a market value of 4 million euros, a figure that has now been multiplied by five, according to Transfermarkt.

During this time, he also made the step up to the senior Austria national team, with whom he was called up for the last World Cup, although he did not play any minutes.

With his move to Fulham, Affengruber will add the Premier League to a career that already includes LaLiga EA Sports, LaLiga Hypermotion and Austrian Bundesliga, a competition he won twice: in 2021 with Red Bull Salzburg and in 2024 with Sturm Graz. He has also taken part in Champions League qualifying rounds, as well as the Europa League and the Conference League.