Monday, December 13, 2021 at 5:14 PM• Jeroen van Poppel

Jesper Karlsson signed a new contract with AZ on Monday, the Alkmaarders report via the official channels. The 23-year-old wing striker extended his contract the day after the won competition match with Ajax (1-2) by one season until mid-2026.

Karlsson is in his second season in Alkmaar and last year came over from IF Elfsborg in his home country for an amount of 450,000 euros. The Swedish international played in the base at AZ from the start and made many appearances with goals and assists. After 61 official appearances for the Eredivisionist, Karlsson has 20 goals and 16 assists.

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— AZ (@AZAlkmaar) Dec 13, 2021

“When I signed my first AZ contract last year, I already said it was a big and important step for me,” said Karlsson, who is still competing with the Swedish selection for a ticket for the 2022 World Cup. grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given. I was able to show myself both nationally and internationally. I feel at home at AZ, so it feels very good to extend my contract. It is a beautiful and mutual token of appreciation.”

Karlsson also discusses the development of AZ this season. “We feel ourselves getting stronger. We have a good mix of togetherness, fighting spirit and individual quality. We also showed a good team spirit, as during yesterday’s victory.” After a difficult start in the competition, AZ has now moved up to eighth place. In the Conference League, a group win was won with flying colors.

Max Huiberts hits a big blow with the new contract for Karlsson. “Jesper is an important player for us,” says the director of football affairs at AZ. “He is increasingly combining his creativity with effectiveness.” With 8 goals and 8 assists in 22 official matches, the wing attacker is again presenting good figures this season. “Last year he made an immediate impact as a new player and he has continued to do so this season,” said Huiberts. “His game is becoming more and more complete and he has shown to be of great value to AZ.”