A champion joins the champions

VELUX EHF Champions League winner, THW Kiel, have found the next piece for the jigsaw puzzle which is emerging to become the next season's squad.

On Thursday at a press conference in Kiel the German club confirmed the transfer of Rasmus Lauge Schmidt. The 21-year-old Dane – on the wish list of many international top clubs – signed a three-year contract at Kiel.

This means that he leave his current club, Danish VELUX EHF Champions League participant, already after this season, although he has a valid contract until 2014.

Lauge Schmidt, EHF EURO 2012 champion and World Championship runner-up in 2011 and 2013 with the Danish national team – is the second newcomer to Kiel's squad following the signing of Tunisian Wael Jallouz.

On the other hand, experienced stalwarts like Thierry Omeyer (leaving for Montpellier MAHB), Daniel Narcisse (Paris Handball) and team captain Marcus Ahlm (returns to Sweden) will leave the three-time EHF Champions League winner after this season.

"We are very happy that all sides agreed on this transfer already now. We are really looking forward to having a strong defender and an inspiring middle back in our squad.

"Despite his age Rasmus is already internationally experienced," the THW manager, Klaus Elwardt, said on Thursday.

Two days ago Bjerringbro-Silkeborg had confirmed the transfer of Norwegian international Kristian Kjelling (currently Aalborg/Denmark) who will replace Lauge from the next season on.

The Danish young gun has high expectations for his time in Kiel.

“It is a major step for every handball player in the world to transfer to THW Kiel, so for me too.

"Kiel have high goals and the squad is consisting only of world class players – so I am proud to be part of this team.

"I am looking forward to working with the team and coach Alfred Gislason," Lauge said.

And even the club director of Bjerringbro Silkeborg, Frank Lajer, is proud of the transfer.

"Kiel is the biggest handball club in the world. Of course, we are sad to lose ‘a child of our club’, but we knew very early that we would not put any obstacles in his way, if he gets a reasonable offer by THW.

That a huge number of, especially German, clubs are interested in our young players proves that we do a very good job."

Before the start of this season, Bjerringbro goalkeeper Niklas Landin had moved from the Danish side to EHF Cup participant Rhein Neckar Löwen.

Line player Henrik Toft Hansen will transfer to VELUX EHF Champions League club HSV Hamburg for the next season.

Lauge started to play handball in Bjerringbro when he was ten and had his first match in the Danish first league aged 17, followed by his first nomination for the national team in 2010.