FC St. Pauli

The 27-year-old Sweden international initially moved to the Millerntor on loan from Belgian top-division club KAA Gent in January 2021 before the Boys in Brown exercised an option to make the deal permanent three months later. He was handed a first contract extension in October 2023.

To date Smith has made seven Bundesliga and 74 second-division appearances for the club plus another nine in the DFB Cup, contributing six goals and 12 assists in that time. Before moving to Hamburg from Gent he had loan spells at Norwegian outfit Tromsø IL (11 appearances) in early 2019 and Swedish top-flight side IFK Norrköping (27 appearances) from May to December 2020.

Reaction to the deal

Director of sport Andreas Bornemann: "Eric is incredibly important for the team. With his football intelligence and exceptional passing ability, he's a key player for us in the Bundesliga whose word has weight in the dressing room. His seeing his future with us is a great signal and we're delighted to have reached an early agreement."

Head coach Alexander Blessin: "Eric is one of the best footballing defenders in the league and gives the team an incredible amount, but also of importance for me is that he's a significant factor for our defensive stability. As vice-captain Eric takes on responsibility and is an important go-between in the communication between the coaching team and the players.“

Eric Smith: "I stressed how comfortable I feel at FC St. Pauli when I signed my new contract last year and my family really enjoy life in Hamburg, too. Getting promoted was the achievement of a major ambition for me and I'm very grateful to everyone who supported the team. New targets emerge from that, so I'd like to help write the next chapter and establish the club in the Bundesliga."

Photos: FC St. Pauli