Maxwell Woledzi: "His ceiling is whatever he wants it to be"

On Tuesday, Nashville SC made their first major addition of the 2025 offseason, acquiring defender Maxwell Woledzi from Fredrikstad FK in the Norwegian first division.

To learn more about Woledzi, we checked in with Martin Bjerke, who covers Fredrikstad and Norwegian football on Twitter (X) as @NorwegianSpursy.

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SixOneFive Soccer: Could you give a quick overview on what type of player Woledzi is? What are so,

Martin Bjerke: Woledzi is a product of the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana and later the Nordsjælland ranks in Denmark. That pathway has created some world superstars such as Mohammed Kudus, Ernest Nuamah and Kamaldeen Sulemana, just to name a few. All silky dribblers, which also somewhat can be seen in Maxwell's play-style.

He loves to keep the ball and excels with the ball at his feet. He often carries the ball with him through the oppositions attack and midfield, dribbling three or four players in the process. Maxwell also excels in one-on-one duels, and due to his speed, he’s able to make deep runs and often catch the attacker.

His overview of the pitch makes him able to anticipate well and time his runs and when he enters a duel. He can still be somewhat rash in his decision making with the ball, but that has improved many levels in the period he has spent in Fredrikstad.

SixOneFive: How would you say he has grown during his time in Norway?

Bjerke: Woledzi has grown a lot, both as a person and as a player in his two-and-a-half years In Fredrikstad. When he first arrived in the summer of 2023 at just 21 years of age, Woledzi was much less confident, not only as a player but as a person. The rashness with the ball mentioned previously was a much bigger problem back then, when he joined Fredrikstad in the second tier of Norwegian football.

The vibrant, friendly and cult hero Maxwell had not yet flourished, but now he leaves as one of Fredrikstad's best players this millennium, and perhaps their biggest ever cult hero. He has also improved tactically, mentally and perhaps in every metric possible.

In late August, Fredrikstad played Premier league side Crystal Palace in the decisive UEFA Conference League playoff, and over the two legs — which ended 1-0 to Palace — Maxwell, together with Ulrik Fredriksen, was a rock at the back. Woledzi kept superstars such French international Jean Phillipe Mateta quiet all of the home leg, and if you ask every single Palace fan they will say the same thing: Why didn’t we take Maxwell on the plane with us back from Fredrikstad? That alone speaks for his development. 

SixOneFive: How do you expect him to adapt to MLS?

Bjerke: In the summer window, fellow MLS side St. Louis City broke the bank and signed Fredrikstad center back Fallou Fall. The Senegalese 21-year-old ended up costing them around $4 million and was a record sale for Fredrikstad.

Fall has adapted very well to the league, and won the Supporters player of the year, despite arriving in July. Despite Fallou Fall and Maxwell Woledzi being two different types of a modern center back, I do expect the level of adaptability to be similar. With the level of athleticism that Maxwell holds, combined with his super strong mindset, I don’t see a world where he doesn’t instantly adapt.

SixOneFive: Where would you say Woledzi's ceiling is?

Bjerke: As previously stated, Maxwell played the games of his life against Crystal Palace, and I do think that kind of explains him as a player. If he is playing against a fourth-tier side, he will play as a fourth-tier player. But play him against a Premier League side, and he will play as a good Premier League player. His ceiling is whatever he wants it to be.

SixOneFive: What can Nashville fans expect from him off the pitch?

Bjerke: Maxwell Woledzi is a cult hero. One of the greatest cult heroes in Fredrikstad`s 122-year history. His bright smile, vibrant warm personality and relationship with the fanbase makes him a person that is and will be adored wherever he goes.

His upbringing in Ghana has taught him to grateful for each day, and I do think he lives by that. In the summer window, he had agreed to transfer to Austrian juggernauts Strum Graz, but Sturm Graz pulled out last second and crushed his dreams of transferring to a very respectable league and multiply his earnings by a lot. Despite all this, he did not put in a bad performance for Fredrikstad and kept up his good spirits.

Woledzi has funded a project called “The Hijabi Project”, which aims to help young girls in Ghana have the possibility to play football with him providing hijabs suited for sporting activity, as well as providing other football equipment to create a welcoming and successful environment. This project is even sponsored by Nike.

Maxwell also has another foundation ongoing called “MaxwellWFoundation” focusing on creating a pathway between Ghana and Scandinavia through sending Ghanian coaches on courses to a Norwegian club to learn and making it possible for Ghanian girls to potentially compete in competitions.

This responsibility Maxwell has taken for his home country and his surrounding speaks of the person he is, and how big his heart really is