The Lion City Sailors are delighted to announce the signing of experienced German forward Lennart Thy. This exciting acquisition comes as the club seeks to bolster its attacking options while challenging on multiple fronts this season.
Having opened the 2024/25 campaign by beating Albirex Niigata (S) to win the Community Shield, the Sailors are intent on adding more silverware, and have set their sights on winning the Singapore Premier League (SPL) and Singapore Cup this season. The club also aim to make a mark in regional competitions such as the ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup, and the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two.
Lennart, who joins from Dutch Eredivisie side PEC Zwolle for an undisclosed fee, has signed a two-year contract with the Sailors. The 32-year-old will add depth to the club’s frontline alongside players like Maxime Lestienne, Shawal Anuar, and Bart Ramselaar.
With over 200 appearances in Dutch football, including 173 in the top-tier Eredivisie, Lennart possesses genuine European pedigree. His goal-scoring prowess is evident through his tally of 54 goals across three different clubs – PEC Zwolle, VVV-Venlo, and Sparta Rotterdam – from 2017 to 2024.
Lennart emerged as the top scorer in the second-tier Eerste Divisie last year, recording 23 goals in 36 matches, and playing a pivotal role in PEC Zwolle’s immediate promotion back to the top-flight. He continued his impressive form into the recently-concluded 2023/24 season, notching 13 goals – including a memorable brace in a 2-2 draw away at Ajax Amsterdam – to finish seventh in the Eredivisie goalscoring charts.
Lennart, who has also represented Germany at the Under-20 level, previously played in the top two German divisions before making the move to the Netherlands in 2017.
Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković hailed the signing of his new 1.84m forward. He said, “Lennart is a quality player who is very lethal in the box, and can finish with both feet. More importantly, he embodies the modern forward, as he links up play well and presses hard from the front. He’s a real competitor who will work his socks off for the team, and I’m confident he will add a different dimension to our attack.
“His infectious energy and hunger are qualities that will rub off on the team, and I’ve no doubt he will score a lot of goals for us.”
One of Lennart’s most storied and unique achievements was winning the 2018 FIFA Fair Play Award. He received the accolade after making a blood donation to facilitate a stem cell transplant for a leukaemia patient, missing a game for VVV-Venlo against PSV Eindhoven in the process. Thy’s selfless act garnered widespread praise, and prompted a surge in donors stepping forward to contribute in the Netherlands.
Sailors Sporting Director Badri Ghent believes that the addition of Lennart will be beneficial to the team, both on and off the pitch. “Lennart is an excellent acquisition for us. He’s a genuine individual who transmits the right values and will be a positive influence around the younger boys we have amongst the ranks,” said Badri.
“And of course, his football qualities are something that will give us that edge up front as we challenge on four fronts this season.”
Lennart, who arrived in Singapore earlier this week, is excited to start this new chapter of his career, and has already set his sights on a fruitful voyage with the Sailors.
“I knew of the huge ambitions that the Sailors have in terms of wanting to change the football ecosystem in Singapore and to be amongst Asia’s elite clubs one day. That is what pushed me to come all the way here, as I want to be part of a team that makes history,” he said.
“I’m going to fight with the team and do all I can to make our fans happy. I want to be a league champion here, and help the Sailors progress in the continental competitions.”
