Since joining FC Copenhagen just before the international break, Mads Emil Madsen has featured in four of the club’s five matches. He has started twice and come on as a substitute twice, with minutes in the Superliga, the domestic cup, and the Champions League.
He described the opening weeks as a good but busy start, arriving late in the transfer window and stepping into a squad already deep into the season. Despite the timing, he feels the integration is progressing well and that the environment around the team has helped him settle.
Adapting to a New Role at FC Copenhagen
Madsen noted that his role differs from the one he had at AGF. FC Copenhagen typically lines up with a back four, whereas he spent long stretches behind a back three in Aarhus. That shift affects his defensive responsibilities: the holding midfielders are asked more to protect spaces than to mark opponents man-to-man. He expects to be the more attack-minded of the two holding midfielders but wants to establish the team’s structure and solidity before taking more risks going forward, which helps explain the limited shooting opportunities so far.
Off the pitch, he has just moved out of a hotel and into an Airbnb while he searches for a permanent home, a process he expects could take a couple of months. He said moving within Denmark is simpler than relocating from abroad, even if the logistics are still demanding. While many foreign players live near Sydhavnen, he hopes to base himself in Frederiksberg or another central neighborhood to experience the city more fully.
In Europe, Madsen brings experience from the Europa League group stage with LASK and a run to the Conference League quarterfinals with Slavia Prague, where the team was eliminated by Feyenoord. This is his first Champions League campaign. He is familiar with the rhythm of playing two matches per week, even if he did not always log as many minutes as he aims to contribute in Copenhagen.
Speaking from the team hotel in Baku, he added that this is his first visit to Azerbaijan. Previous European trips have taken him to Turkey and England, including a meeting with Tottenham while at LASK during the pandemic, when games were played behind closed doors. Tottenham also appears on FC Copenhagen’s schedule later this autumn, and he expressed enthusiasm for the challenges ahead.
As Mads Emil Madsen continues his journey with FC Copenhagen, fans can look forward to his development both on and off the field, ensuring that he becomes an integral part of the team’s ambitions in the domestic league and European competitions.