The Fire announced that they have signed Danish winger Philip Zinckernagel from Club Brugge in Belgium, the new Fire front office’s first signing from abroad, after having previously brought in defender Jack Elliott in free agency alongside a number of additions to the supplemental roster. The team has confirmed that Zinckernagel will be a TAM player and occupy an international spot on the Fire’s roster in a deal that runs through the 2028 season.

Although Zinckernagel cannot be formally rostered and therefore, play competitive games for the team until the transfer window opens on January 31st, Zinckernagel will be free to join the team and participate in preseason, typically after receipt of his work visa.

While Zinckernagel can play on either wing and in the central attacking midfield, the right-footed Dane has played primarily as a left winger, reinforcing the team’s attack from a position where they previously only had one experienced professional on the roster (Chris Mueller) alongside new homegrown signing Dylan Borso.

Zinckernagel, 30, spent the last few months on loan to FK Bodø/Glimpt, helping the Norwegian club win the Eliteserien in 2024. The victory marked the second time in the calendar year that Zinckernagel helped his team to a top finish, having also won the league with Brugge in their 2023-2024 campaign.

He also played for the team during their ongoing European campaign in the UEFA Europa League, scoring against Manchester United and putting his team up with a 2-1 lead as part of what was an eventual 3-2 defeat, and scoring the lone goal against Beşiktaş in December as part of a 2-1 loss.

The to loan Glimt was Zinckernagel’s second stint with that team, having previously played for them from 2018 through 2020, a time that overlapped with Fire Sporting Director Gregg Broughton, served as academy manager at FK Bodø/Glimpt from 2017 through the summer of 2022, when he became Blackburn's sporting director.

Zinckernagel, a former Danish youth international, has had a journeyman career since turning professional in 2013 with Danish side HB Köge, playing for a number of clubs in his native Denmark as well as Championship sides Watford and Nottingham Forest in England, as well as Greek team Olympiacos and Belgian clubs Standard Liège and Brugge.

In a press release, Fire FC Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter put the signing in context for the team, saying “We wanted to bring in a high-impact player for one of our TAM positions, and Philip fits that profile perfectly. He’s a technical and versatile player who can create chances for himself and his teammates, while also showing a commitment to defending. With experience playing in multiple countries and elite European competitions, Philip will bring a winning mentality and leadership to our squad for the upcoming season and beyond.”

Where does Zinckernagel fit on the Fire’s depth chart?

ZInckernagel instantly raises the team’s floor in the attack, something the Fire badly needed after a 2024 campaign that saw the team score 40 goals, just four more than last-place New England in that metric, who finished the year with 36.

Throughout the year, the team’s lack of secondary scoring threats around Hugo Cuypers made the team’s attack predictable, limiting both his and the team’s production.

Although the team needed reinforcement throughout the attack, nowhere was the team’s need more acute than on the left wing, with Chris Mueller as the only experienced professional on the roster before Zinckernagel’s arrival.

Mueller had an off year in 2024 after coming back from an injury that kept him out for the vast majority of the prior year, failing to score a goal in 1358 minutes across 27 appearances and adding just three assists, including one secondary assist.

Zinckernagel is the team’s most likely starter on the team’s depth chart and instantly adds depth throughout the attack, providing the team with a second experienced option at several positions of need, but, notably, does not fit the profile of the kind of high-end attacking piece that many had been expecting the team to acquire.

How does he affect the team’s roster and cap situation?

As is normal, financial terms of the deal were not announced. The team stated that Zinckernagel will be a “TAM player,” a term that means that his salary cap hit, which includes Zinckernagel’s salary as well as any transfer fee to acquire him, will be somewhere between $743,750 up to $1 million more than that number.

While the transfer fee was not disclosed, Zinckernagel is currently listed at a €2.8 million valuation on Transfermarkt. Whatever the acquisition costs were for the Fire, with the Danish winger signed through the 2028 season, that amount will be spread over four years of his deal. Regardless, while he will not be an inexpensive player on the team’s roster, the team does have cap room to make several additional moves.

As of today, the Fire have six available slots on the senior roster as well as four open international slots.

Although Zinckernagel helps fill a position of real need for the Fire, the team is likely not done strengthening the attack, with prized Designated Player and U22 Initiative slots available to do so.