St. Louis CITY SC has acquired Danish attacking midfielder Carlo Holse as a Designated Player on a permanent transfer from Turkey’s Süper Lig side Samsunspor. The 27-year-old has signed through the 2028-29 season, with a club option for the 2029-30 season. Holse will occupy an International Roster Slot and will be added to the roster pending medical clearance and receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa.
CITY SC acquired the Discovery Priority for Holse from the Philadelphia Union in exchange for $150,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM), $50,000 in 2027 GAM, and a conditional $100,000 in GAM.
“Carlo is a player we have admired for some time and someone we believe is entering the prime of his career," said St. Louis CITY SC Sporting Director Corey Wray. "He has consistently performed at a high level across multiple European leagues and is coming off another strong season in Turkey. We believe he has the quality and experience to make an immediate impact, and his ability to create and finish chances will strengthen our group in the final third. We're excited to welcome Carlo and his family to St. Louis.”
“Carolyn and our ownership group have been clear from day one about their ambition to build a club that competes for trophies and makes St Louis proud,” added Diego Gigliani, Club President & General Manager. “The addition of a Designated Player like Carlo reflects that ambition and underlines our commitment to investing in the squad, strengthening our team, and giving our supporters every reason to believe our best days are still to come”.
Holse spent the last three seasons with Turkish Süper Lig side Samsunspor, making 114 appearances and registering 22 goals and 14 assists across all competitions. Last season was his most productive on the European stage, after tallying two goals and a tournament-leading five assists in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Holse rose through FC Copenhagen’s youth system before making his professional debut on September 23, 2017, in Copenhagen’s 4-0 win over Silkeborg. Holse was later loaned to Esbjerg fB in 2019, tallying four goal contributions in 15 appearances before returning to Copenhagen. Across 46 first-team appearances for FC Copenhagen, he recorded four goals and five assists before joining Norwegian first division team Rosenborg BK in 2020. In three-and-a-half seasons with Rosenborg, Holse established himself as one of the team's main attacking threats, totaling 123 appearances, 24 goals and 34 assists across all competitions, highlighted by a standout 2022 campaign where he led the Norwegian league with 16 assists.
Holse represented Denmark at every youth level from U-16 through U-21 before earning his senior national team debut in June 2025, appearing in a 5-0 victory over Lithuania.
TRANSACTION: St. Louis CITY SC acquired Danish attacking midfielder Carlo Holse as a Designated Player on a permanent transfer from Turkish Süper Lig side Samsunspor. Additionally, CITY SC acquired Holse's Discovery Priority from the Philadelphia Union in exchange for $150,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM), $50,000 in 2027 GAM and up to an additional $100,000 in conditional GAM.
Carlo Holse
Pronunciation: KAR-lo HOL-suh
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark
Date of Birth: June 2, 1999 (27)
Height: 5-9
Weight: 160 lbs
Previous Team: Samsunspor
