Nineteen-year-old German central defender Ferdinand Pohl has joined FC Utrecht on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, signing a contract until mid-2029. The Dutch club had been monitoring the player, who has been capped three times for Germany's U16 team, for an extended period. Pohl had been with Leverkusen since 2014 and was included in the first-team's Champions League matchday squad twice, but he never made a senior appearance. In the 2025/2026 domestic season, he made 20 appearances and scored one goal for the U19s. Technical manager Jeffrey Kooistra described Pohl as a great talent and a modern defender, stating that the club sees a lot of potential in him and will give him the opportunity to develop further.