Atubolu faces uncertain Freiburg future after contract standoff and Backhaus signing

Having no future at SC Freiburg, Noah Atubolu is in trouble, as there have been no enquiries for him so far. At worst, he could end up spending the upcoming season in the stands.

After Noah Atubolu stalled on contract talks for months while waiting for offers to take the next step in his career, SC Freiburg reacted by bringing in Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen as their new first-choice goalkeeper.

As reported by Sport Bild, Atubolu’s clear target remains to leave the club, but the problem is that there have been no enquiries for him so far.

For Freiburg, there is no compromise and no going back, with the report claiming that the club believe the 24-year-old goalkeeper behaved “insufficiently respectfully” during negotiations.

Newcastle United long appeared to be the most likely destination, but no concrete offer materialised.

In the worst-case scenario for Atubolu, he could end up spending the 2026/27 season in the stands before his contract expires next summer.

Both Atubolu and Freiburg naturally want to avoid that, but a suitor naturally must emerge for a transfer to become possible.