A holding midfielder who “tackles superbly”: meet HSV’s Kofi Amoako | OneFootball

With the signing of Kofi Amoako, HSV have not only secured their first new arrival for the coming season. The Red Shorts may also have landed one of Germany’s most exciting midfield talents.

HSV are paying just under two million euros to Dynamo Dresden, where the 21-year-old has made remarkable strides over the past twelve months. But who exactly is Kofi Amoako? And what can HSV fans expect from the German-Ghanaian?

Expert on HSV signing: “He surprised us”

Amoako was born in Hanover on 6 May 2005. From an early age, the current Germany U20 international was seen as a highly promising talent. At the age of 11, he joined Hannover 96’s youth setup in 2016 before moving to VfL Wolfsburg three years later. There, the midfielder progressed through the U17 and U19 teams, signed his first professional contract in February 2023, and made his Bundesliga debut on 16 December that same year in a 1–0 win over SV Darmstadt 98.

However, Amoako was unable to establish himself in Wolfsburg in the long term. By the end of the season, he had played just two minutes in the Bundesliga. The consequence was a loan move to VfL Osnabrück in the 3. Liga. There, the youngster gained regular professional experience for the first time and impressed immediately. His 33 appearances, 25 of them as a starter, made it clear how much potential he has.

Photo: IMAGO

That still was not enough for a permanent place in Wolfsburg’s squad, but Dynamo Dresden took notice and signed Amoako in the summer of 2025 for around €300,000. It proved to be a real coup for the Saxons. Without any need for an adjustment period, the defensive midfielder became a regular starter. His 32 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga, 29 of them in the starting XI, speak for themselves.

“His consistency really surprised us; that wasn’t something anyone expected,” reports Timotheus Eimert of the Sächsische Zeitung, who spoke with Nur die Raute about Amoako. Especially during the difficult first half of the season, which Dynamo ended in 18th place, the 21-year-old was one of the few consistently reliable performers. “Whenever there was room for criticism, it was always the other players who could be criticised, not him,” said Eimert.

Amoako has one outstanding strength

So it is no surprise that Amoako was already attracting interest in the winter. Italian top-flight club US Lecce in particular showed strong interest. Dynamo, however, refused to sell in order not to jeopardise their major goal of staying up. Now that survival has been secured, Dresden’s jewel is leaving the club. Due to a release clause, the East Germans will receive only around two million euros. Otherwise, a significantly higher fee would probably have been possible. For HSV, this deal could therefore turn out to be a real bargain.

Especially since the competition was quite prominent. 1. FC Köln, Union Berlin, and Leeds United are also said to have shown interest in Amoako. According to Eimert, geographic proximity to his Lower Saxony home may ultimately have played a role as well. The midfielder is considered very much a family person.

But what exactly are HSV getting from him on the pitch? Amoako is not a player defined by spectacular goal contributions. He contributed one goal and one assist to Dresden’s survival campaign. His strengths lie much more in his work against the ball, where, despite his young age, he was already one of the most eye-catching players in the division. With 2.7 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, he ranked 17th-best in the league.

Tackling is probably Amoako’s greatest quality. “He wins the important duels, can slide in excellently and, above all, fairly,” Eimert says of the No. 6. More generally, it stands out that the DFB youth international ranked among the top 25 percent of all midfielders in the second division in numerous defensive statistics. At 1.86 metres tall, he also has strong attributes for aerial duels.

Photo: IMAGO

“He could become more of a goal threat”

Still, it would be wrong to reduce Amoako solely to his defensive work. Around 38 percent of his appearances came in a more advanced central midfield role. The right-footer has shown remarkable quality, especially in short passing. With a success rate of 86.08 percent, he was actually the most secure passer in the entire Dresden squad.

However, it is also clear where Amoako still has room for improvement. The new arrival is more the man for the second-last pass than the final one. So far, he has yet to make a name for himself either as a creative chance creator or as a dynamic ball carrier or dribbler. “He could contribute more going forward and become a more dangerous goalscoring midfielder,” Eimert also says.

The journalist therefore describes Amoako as a classic “holding six” — in other words, a shielding defensive midfielder with strengths against the ball and in short passing, but less of an aggressive box-to-box player. In that sense, his profile does somewhat resemble Nicolai Remberg, behind whom Amoako is likely to slot in at HSV for the time being. At the same time, the new signing is already slightly further along technically than Remberg was before his move to the Volkspark, despite being five years younger.

Is HSV just a stepping stone?

In terms of character too, HSV appear to have signed an intriguing personality. Eimert describes Amoako as a “quiet but very inquisitive character” who wants to understand how things around him work. In interviews, though, the talent apparently needs to be “teased out a little.”

The most exciting question now is what role he will play. With Remberg and Sambi Lokonga, HSV already have notable competition in central midfield. “He’s really the type who needs playing time to stay in rhythm,” Eimert explains. However, the Dresden reporter has no doubt that Amoako can make the step up to becoming a Bundesliga player.

In the long term, the 21-year-old apparently even dreams of Spain’s La Liga or the Premier League. But that is one for the future. For now, HSV can be delighted about a highly interesting new signing who has impressively shown in a very short time just how rapidly his development can progress.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.