Instead of van der Vaart, Arnesen wanted Brazil star at HSV! | OneFootball

Rafael van der Vaart’s return in the summer of 2012 ranks among the most emotional transfers in HSV history. But things very nearly turned out completely differently.

Former sporting director Frank Arnesen has now revealed that he actually had another player in mind at the time. In his recently published biography, the Dane looks back on his time at the Volkspark and offers fascinating insights into the club’s transfer plans surrounding the 2012/13 season. According to him, signing van der Vaart was by no means his preferred solution.

“Normally, HSV would not have been able to afford a player like him,” Arnesen writes with reference to the Dutchman. The spectacular return was made possible above all by the financial support of investor Klaus-Michael Kühne, who, according to Arnesen, was more enthusiastic about high-profile new signings than about long-term investment in youth development.

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Yet the then-HSV sporting director apparently had a very different plan. “I suggested that he invest in our youth academy. But he wasn’t interested in that at all,” Arnesen recalls. Instead, Kühne pushed for van der Vaart’s return.

HSV: Arnesen was after Oscar

Arnesen’s preferred target, by contrast, was Oscar. At just 21 years old, the Brazilian was regarded at the time as one of the most exciting talents in world football. “But I could forget about that. Mr. Kühne was enthusiastic about van der Vaart,” the former HSV boss recalls. In the end, HSV signed the playmaker, who was already 29 at the time. Van der Vaart once again became a fan favorite and played a major role in the club’s seventh-place finish in the 2012/13 season. Overall, however, the high hopes attached to the €13 million transfer were not fulfilled.

Meanwhile, Oscar went on to make his mark on the international stage. The midfielder spent four years at Chelsea and won the English league title twice there. He also earned 48 caps for Brazil and scored the late consolation goal in the legendary 7-1 defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semifinal. For Arnesen, however, working with Oscar remained an unfulfilled dream.

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