HSV splash out, is the ‘Hamburg way’ now suffering? | OneFootball

HSV caused quite a stir on deadline day. With Fabio Vieira, Zakaria El Ouahdi and David Möller Wolfe, the Hamburg side strengthened their squad with high-profile signings and earned praise across Germany.

But one question inevitably arises: Could this transfer offensive come at the expense of the talents who made such a strong case for themselves during preseason? Otto Stange, Shafiq Nandja and Louis Lemke in particular used the friendlies to draw attention to themselves.

Nandja and Lemke were even in the starting lineup for the DFB-Pokal match against SC Verl (3:0), and a week later Lemke also got the nod from the start in the Bundesliga opener in Dortmund (0:2). Against 1. FSV Mainz 05 (Sunday, 3:30 p.m.), however, the deck now appears to have been reshuffled. All three teenagers will likely have to start out on the bench.

Coach Merlin Polzin, however, wants nothing to do with the idea that the young trio supposedly has no chance in the battle for starting spots. “In the end, it comes down to performance and the things that happen in training,” the HSV coach made clear at the press conference before the home game.

Photo: IMAGO

Polzin praises HSV jewel Lemke

Polzin was particularly impressed by Lemke’s performance. “What Louis showed in Dortmund was really, really good. If he keeps showing those things, he will get his minutes. The same goes for Shafiq and Otto,” emphasized the 35-year-old. The fact that Möller Wolfe has now been signed as an experienced competitor for the left side is not something Polzin sees as a disadvantage for the 16-year-old. Quite the opposite: “He can also benefit from his experience.”

In general, HSV wants to continue promoting its young players, but not at any price. “It’s not about throwing the boys in there for the sake of it and feeding the Hamburger Weg. It’s about us, as HSV, playing successful Bundesliga football — with boys from our own academy,” Polzin explained. Despite the increased competition, the principle still stands: “They have the chance to do that.”

The coach also sent a clear signal with an eye on the Mainz match. “If everything goes normally, the boys will be in the squad this weekend.” So the Hamburger Weg, as Polzin calls it, is still very much alive. Even so, the hurdles for his youngsters have definitely become higher.

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