Ba-Muaka Simakala: Germany-DR Congo forward joins KAS Eupen on free transfer from Araz-Nakhchivan

Germany-DR Congo forward Ba-Muaka Simakala has joined Belgian side KAS Eupen on a free transfer from Azerbaijani club Araz-Nakhchivan.

The 29-year-old centre-forward, who is comfortable using both feet, moves to the Challenger Pro League after a season in the Premyer Liqa, where he scored nine goals and provided four assists in 31 league appearances. He arrives in Belgium with a market value of €900,000.

Simakala’s switch follows a series of moves across Germany, the Netherlands and Azerbaijan in recent years. Before heading to Araz-Nakhchivan in 2025 for €200,000, he had spells with Holstein Kiel and VfL Osnabruck, twice changing clubs on free transfers within German football.

Born in Eschweiler and standing at 1.80m, Simakala came through the youth system at Borussia Monchengladbach, progressing from the under-17s to the first team. He briefly featured in the Bundesliga and also gained experience in the UEFA Youth League, where he scored three times and registered five assists in 12 matches.

His most prolific senior periods came in Germany’s 3. Liga and Regionalliga, netting 35 goals in 91 third-tier appearances and 28 in 89 Regionalliga West matches. He has also been deployed in cup competitions, scoring three goals and adding two assists in just three appearances in the Dutch KNVB Beker.

Simakala has collected several honours, including promotion to Germany’s 2. Bundesliga with Osnabruck, a Saarland Cup win with Elversberg and a Lower Saxony Cup triumph, as well as finishing German Cup runner-up with 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 2023-24.

The move sees Simakala commit his immediate future to Eupen as he begins a new chapter in Belgian football.