Costa on failed Königsdörffer move: "He was never gone for us" | OneFootball

Ransford Königsdörffer was on the verge of a move to OGC Nice in the summer. However, he failed the medical. Now his expiring contract at HSV is becoming a topic.

In the past season, Ransford Königsdörffer became one of the key promotion figures with 14 goals. His performances also made an impression beyond the 2. Bundesliga. OGC Nice reached an agreement with Hamburger SV and planned to invest six million euros as a transfer fee. However, the Ligue 1 club distanced itself from the transfer following the medical.

At HSV, Königsdörffer was warmly welcomed back. “From his perspective, Nice was a one-time opportunity with the prospect of playing in the Champions League, which he would have liked to seize. Under certain conditions, we could have made it happen. Just as clearly as he communicated his desire to leave, his renewed onboarding process at HSV proceeded — it took a quarter of an hour,” explained sporting director Claus Costa in an in-depth interview with transfermarkt.de.

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Contract talks with Königsdörffer’s camp underway

“For us, he was never gone,” Costa continued. Coach Merlin Polzin continued to rely on Königsdörffer, who, since his move to HSV in the summer of 2022, has only missed two competitive matches due to injury. In his new role as the only out-and-out striker in the 3-4-3 setup introduced after promotion, he initially found it difficult to settle. The first Bundesliga goal is still pending.

On matchday two, the 24-year-old briefly celebrated in the city derby against St. Pauli before VAR ruled the goal out for a razor-thin offside. Despite the lack of scoring success so far, Königsdörffer’s contribution has proven helpful. With his high work rate, he repeatedly creates space for his teammates and also impresses in counter-pressing.

Photo: Getty Images

How intensely other clubs are monitoring the currently out-of-favor six-cap Ghanaian international is unknown. What is clear, however, is that his contract expires at the end of the season. “We are in regular contact with his management. If there’s an update, everyone will surely hear about it,” said Costa, who is keen to avoid Königsdörffer leaving on a free.

Photo: IMAGO

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