There were just three weeks between the relegation defeat against VfB Stuttgart and the start of preparations at the end of June. So the frustration among the HSV professionals is still deep. An interim result from the training camp of the second division soccer team in Kitzbühel.
HSV captain Sebastian Schonlau admitted frankly in an interview: The missed promotion to the Bundesliga is still stuck in my head, it still hurts. But, the defender assured, things are getting better every day.
However, coach Tim Walter did not feel like talking to the journalists on site. The coach knows: If he does that, the hamster wheel will turn again.
Signings increase the competitive pressure
New signing Levin Öztunali spoke for this. The grandson of HSV idol Uwe Seeler sees it as a “cool task” to get promoted with HSV on the sixth attempt. The 27-year-old, who moved to Elbe from Union Berlin, received good reviews after last Friday’s friendly against Viktoria Pilsen (3-3). Match practice is important, as he spent most of the season on the bench with the Bundesliga club and only made two short appearances.
The 22-year-old ex-Braunschweig Immanuel Pherai has a lot of potential. New signing number three is central defender Guilherme Ramos, the former Bielefeld player is still recovering from his shoulder injury. Dennis Hadzikadunic has also been there since Monday – another central defender. The Bosnian international seems to be set in defense next to captain Schonlau.
The only question is: can the new players for the club with the rhombus perform at their best? In any case, they increase the competitive pressure, as shown by the example of Jonas David, who may have to line up behind Hadzikadunic. The young man from Hamburg fights for his place. In the test match against Pilsen, he tackled an opponent who then made the acquaintance of the advertising board.
Elfadli transfer burst?
However, the activities on the transfer market are not yet complete. HSV has received up to ten million euros for transfers from investor Klaus-Michael Kühne.
So the search for a right-back continues. KAA Gent’s Belgian Alessio Castro-Montes is said to be the hottest candidate. Negotiations with Magdeburg’s midfielder Daniel Elfadli are difficult, perhaps already over. Both parties should still be very far apart.
Hard test against RB Salzburg
How far HSV is will probably be seen at the end of the training camp on July 15th. The second test match against the Austrian champions RB Salzburg is a real endurance test. The validity is still questionable, because the training sessions in St. Johann are long and hard, the pros are not yet at the maximum strength level.
Six players were missing on Tuesday: Jean-Luc Dompé (Achilles tendon), Jonas Meffert (knee/calf), Miro Muheim (torn fascia in the calf), Pherai (infection), Anssi Suhonen (bruise) and Ludovit Reis (patellar tendon). .
Öztunali the most coveted photo motif
At Öztunali, however, the anticipation for the new season is huge. He left HSV at the age of 17 and has now returned ten years later. Uwe Seeler’s grandson is the most sought-after photo motif in St. Johann, the fans have already taken him into their hearts. And dream of returning to the Bundesliga with him.
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Hamburg Journal | 07/11/2023 | 19:30 o’clock