# Claus Jensen

Claus William Jensen (Danish pronunciation:; born 29 April 1977) is a Danish professional football manager, and former player. During his active playing career, he played as an attacking midfielder for homeland clubs Næstved and Lyngby, as well as three other clubs in England. Jensen also made 47 appearances for the Denmark national team, in which he scored eight goals. He also represented Denmark at the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championship tournaments. He is the cousin of former winger Anders Due, who currently works as his assistant at Nykøbing.

## Playing career

Jensen was born in Nykøbing Falster, and played for a number of Danish lower-league teams, making his debut for the Danish under-19 national team in November 1995. In May 1996, he was loaned out from Danish second division club Nykøbing Falster Alliancen to Næstved in the Danish Superliga. He played four games while at Næstved, but could not prevent the club from being relegated at the end of the season. He moved permanently to Superliga club Lyngby in June 1996, signing a contract alongside later Danish international Dennis Rommedahl.
He played two years at Lyngby, before moving to play in England in July 1998. He was bought by First Division club Bolton Wanderers in a deal worth 1.8 million DKK. While at Bolton, he debuted for the Danish national team in March 2000.
In July 2000, he moved to London to join promoted Premier League club Charlton Athletic for £4 million, and became a popular player with fans due to his influence during games. The Charlton fans would sing his name to the tune "charge" (often used during baseball matches), using Jensen for the build-up and singing his full name, Claus William Jensen, at the climax. He was called up to the Danish squad for the 2002 World Cup, where he made a single appearance as a substitute. In February 2003, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 friendly win against Egypt; one of the goals was scored from a direct free kick. He also represented Denmark at the 2004 European Championship, where he took part in three of Denmark's four matches.
After more than 100 games for Charlton, in July 2004, he moved to the Addicks' London rivals Fulham in a deal worth £1.25 million. He made his Fulham debut at Manchester City on 14 August 2004. He spent three years with Fulham, but was plagued by injury, and on 17 May 2007, Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez decided to release him; Jensen claims his release was inevitable because he did not fit into Sanchez's long ball tactics. After three years with repeating injuries, he chose to end his professional career on 25 August 2007.

## Post retirement career

In May 2015, Claus Jensen was part of a small group of investors, including TV chef Claus Meyer, comedian Mick Øgendahl and former football player Biri Biri, who bought into Nykøbing FC. At the same time, Jensen joined the board as sports director. In the summer of 2016, he stepped up and also became chairman of the club after the club was promoted to the 2016-17 Danish 1st Division.
On 7 January 2020, Jensen was appointed manager of Nykøbing; a position where he had to combine the role of sports director with the role of head coach of the club's first team. After five years as head coach of the club, the club confirmed on 4 January 2025 that Jensen would continue in the role of Director of Football at the club from the new year.

## Career statistics
### Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National Cup | National Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Continental | Continental | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Næstved | 1995–96 | Danish Superliga | 4 | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| Lyngby | 1996–97 | Danish Superliga | 31 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Lyngby | 1997–98 | Danish Superliga | 31 | 11 | | | | | | | | |
| Lyngby | Total | Total | 62 | 14 | | | | | | | | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 1998–99 | First Division | 44 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 1999–2000 | First Division | 42 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Bolton Wanderers | Total | Total | 86 | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| Charlton Athletic | 2000–01 | Premier League | 38 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| Charlton Athletic | 2001–02 | Premier League | 18 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Charlton Athletic | 2002–03 | Premier League | 35 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Charlton Athletic | 2003–04 | Premier League | 31 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Charlton Athletic | Total | Total | 122 | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| Fulham | 2004–05 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| Fulham | 2005–06 | Premier League | 11 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Fulham | 2006–07 | Premier League | 12 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Fulham | Total | Total | 35 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 309 | 42 | | | | | | | | |

### International goals

    Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jensen goal.
List of international goals scored by Claus Jensen :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 24 March 2001 | Valletta, Malta | Malta | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 12 February 2003 | Cairo, Egypt | Egypt | 1–1 | 4–1 | Friendly match |
| 3 | 12 February 2003 | Cairo, Egypt | Egypt | 3–1 | 4–1 | Friendly match |
| 4 | 12 February 2003 | Cairo, Egypt | Egypt | 4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly match |
| 5 | 11 June 2003 | Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 1–0 | 2–0 | Euro 2004 qualification |
| 6 | 18 August 2004 | Poznań, Poland | Poland | 4–1 | 5–1 | Friendly match |
| 7 | 3 September 2005 | Istanbul, Turkey | Turkey | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 7 September 2005 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Georgia | 1–0 | 6–1 | 2006 World Cup qualification |