Nashville SC signs defender Maxwell Woledzi to three-year contract

Nashville SC has signed defender Maxwell Woledzi to a three-year contract with an option for 2029.

Woledzi, a 24-year-old center back, is originally from Ghana and spent the last three seasons with Fredrikstad, which plays in Norway's top division. He was the club's player of the year this season and was named to the Eliteserien Team of the Year in 2024.

Woledzi will take up an international roster spot for Nashville pending his visa.

"Maxwell is a tremendous player and leader who will be a great addition to our club," Nashville SC president of soccer operations and general manager Mike Jacobs said in a club release. "We are excited to be able to add him to our group for the 2026 season."

Woledzi will help Nashville fill the hole left behind by Walker Zimmerman, who will depart the club when he becomes a free agent in December. He's likely to compete for a spot alongside Jeisson Palacios or Jack Maher on Nashville's top pairing. Josh Bauer and Chris Applewhite are NSC's other center backs.

Woledzi is a product of the Right to Dream Academy, a youth soccer program based in Accra which has produced numerous successful players including Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mohammed Kudus and former Nashville SC winger David Accam. In 2019, Woledzi joined Nordsjælland and appeared in 33 games for the Danish side over three seasons.

After a short stint with the reserve side of Portugese club Vitoria in 2022, Woledzi moved to Fredrikstad, where he appeared in 88 games across all competitions. He helped the team earn promotion to the Eliteserien in his first season and win the Norwegian Cup the following year.

Woledzi continues a trend for Nashville SC of targeting players from Scandinavian leagues. Last year, Jacobs acquired Patrick Yazbek (Viking FK) and Edvard Tagseth (Rosenborg) from Norway and in February signed Swedish winger Ahmed Qasem from IF Elfsborg.

MORE: Nashville SC schedule for 2026 MLS season released

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC Maxwell Woledzi signed from Fredrikstad