Joel Voelkerling Persson

Joel Voelkerling Persson

Personal information
Full name	Joel Axel Krister Voelkerling Persson
Date of birth	(2003-01-15) 15 January 2003 (age 22)
Place of birth	Dalköpinge, Sweden
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Centre-forward
Team information
Current team	Lecce
Youth career
0000–2019	Trelleborg
2019–2022	Roma
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2021–2022	Roma	0	(0)
2022–	Lecce	9	(0)
2023–2024	→ Vitesse (loan)	9	(0)
2024	→ Värnamo (loan)	7	(0)
International career^‡
2021	Sweden U19	2	(0)
2023	Sweden U21	5	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:37, 16 October 2024 (UTC)

Joel Axel Krister Voelkerling Persson (born 15 January 2003) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a centre-forward for Italian Serie A club Lecce.

Club career

Born in Dalköpinge, Sweden,[1] Voelkerling Persson played for the academy of local club Trelleborg before joining the youth sector of Serie A side Roma in January 2019, following a successful trial at the Italian club.[2][3][4] Initially assigned to the under-17 squad,[4][5] the centre-forward came through Roma's youth ranks[6][7] before renewing his contract with the club in the summer of 2020.[8]

During the 2021–22 season, Voelkerling Persson started training with Roma's first team under manager José Mourinho,[1][5][6] and made his first bench appearances for the senior squad in several Serie A and UEFA Europa Conference League matches.[6][9] During the same campaign, he was a part of Roma's under-19 squad that reached the final of the national championship before losing to Inter Milan.[10][11]

On 13 July 2022, Voelkerling Persson joined newly promoted Serie A side Lecce on a permanent deal, signing a five-year contract with the club.[5][12] The transfer reportedly commanded a fee of almost €1 million, with a 50% sell-on clause and a buy-back option in favor of Roma.[5]

After struggling with injuries in the first half of the 2022–23 season,[13] the forward made his professional debut in Serie A on 14 January 2023, coming on as a substitute for Lorenzo Colombo in the 72nd minute of a 2–2 home draw against Milan.[14][15]

On 26 August 2023, Lecce announced that they had agreed with Dutch side Vitesse to transfer Voelkerling Persson and that he was set to complete his medical tests in the Netherlands.[16][17] The deal was officially completed three days later, with the player joining the Eredivisie club on a season-long loan with an option to buy.[18][19] He played nine games for Vitesse throughout the 2023–24 league season.[20]

On 17 August 2024, Voelkerling Persson joined Allsvenskan club IFK Värnamo on loan until the end of the 2024 campaign, with an option to buy and a sell-on clause in favor of Lecce.[21][22]

International career

Voelkerling Persson has represented Sweden at youth international level, having played for the under-19 national team.[23]

Personal life

He has an older brother, Jakob, who is also a professional footballer and plays as a defender.[15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 May 2024[24]

Club	Season	League			Cup[a]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Roma	2021-22	Serie A	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
Lecce	2022–23	Serie A	9	0	0	0	–		–		9	0
Vitesse (loan)	2023–24	Eredivisie	9	0	0	0	–		–		9	0
Career total			18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	0

1. Including appearances in Coppa Italia and KNVB Cup.

References

1. "Joel Voelkerling Persson, l'attaccante svedese che vuole conquistare Roma". seriebnews.com (in Italian). 6 November 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
2. "Officiellt: Joel Voelkerling Persson till Roma". fotbolltransfers.com (in Swedish). 25 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
3. Berséus, Lotta Lövdén (26 January 2019). "Joel Voelkerling-Persson lämnar Trelleborgs FF för Roma". Trelleborgs FF (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
4. Manai, Riccardo (30 January 2019). "Roma, ecco il centravanti: arriva lo svedese Persson". Gazzetta Regionale (in Italian). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
5. Hellgren, Tobias; Pavlidis, Frederic (2 August 2022). "Voelkerling Persson om att träna under Mourinho, lärdomarna av Umtiti och Serie A-debuten mot Milan: "Jäkligt kul"". fotbollskanalen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
6. Conflitti, Gabriele (9 December 2021). "Chi è Joel Voelkerling Persson, l'attaccante della Roma Primavera pronto al grande salto". Goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
7. "Svenske Roma-talangen: "Ser dem inte ens I ögonen"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 29 August 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
8. Canicchio, Lorenzo (17 July 2020). "C'è la firma: Roma e Voelkerling Persson ancora insieme". Gazzetta Regionale (in Italian). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
9. Canicchio, Lorenzo (9 December 2021). "Roma: Josè Mourinho convoca Mastrantonio e Persson per Sofia". Gazzetta Regionale (in Italian). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
10. Nalesso, Pietro (31 May 2022). "[FINALE]- Finale Scudetto Primavera 1, Roma-Inter 1-2: gara da romanzo, nerazzurri campioni d'Italia". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
11. Buccarella, Rosario (1 June 2022). "L'Inter è campione d'Italia Primavera e vince il suo decimo Scudetto!". La Giovane Italia News (in Italian). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
12. "Acquisizione Persson Voelkerling" (Press release) (in Italian). Lecce. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
13. "Persson in gruppo". U.S. Lecce (in Italian). 19 September 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
14. Fallisi, Marco (14 January 2023). "Milan, 2-2 in rimonta a Lecce e il Napoli va a +9". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
15. "TV: Milan tappade poäng - när svenskdoldis debuterade för Lecce". fotbollskanalen.se (in Swedish). 14 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
16. "Voelkerling autorizzato a sostenere le visite mediche per il Vitesse". US Lecce (in Italian). 26 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
17. Iacobellis, Giacomo (26 August 2023). "Comunicato ufficiale del Lecce: Voelkerling autorizzato a volare in Olanda per le visite col Vitesse". TUTTOmercatoWEB.com (in Italian). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
18. "Joel Voelkerling Persson volgende aanwinst Vitesse". SBV Vitesse (in Dutch). 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
19. "Vitesse heeft zijn gewenste nieuwe spits binnen". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
20. Nalerius, Jacob; Pearson, Sebastian; von Knorring, Martin; Hadzic, Erik (4 June 2024). "SVENSKKOLLEN: Lidberg väntas lämna Utrecht - efter en säsong". fotbollskanalen (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 August 2024.
21. "Välkommen till IFK Värnamo Joel Voelkerling Persson" (in Swedish). IFK Värnamo. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
22. Stenfelt, Alexander (17 August 2024). "Klart: Voelkerling Persson klar för IFK Värnamo". fotbollskanalen (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 August 2024.
23. "Kryss även i returen mot Irland". SvFF (in Swedish). 11 October 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
24. Joel Voelkerling Persson at Soccerway

External links

• Joel Voelkerling Persson at Soccerway
• Joel Voelkerling Persson at WorldFootball.net
• Joel Voelkerling Persson national team profile at SvFF (in Swedish) (archived)