HSV: these are the positions that need strengthening | OneFootball

On Wednesday, HSV traveled to their training camp in Denmark. However, the 27-man squad will still change considerably before the start of the season.

At the moment, around a third of it consists of youth players who would normally feature for their actual teams in competitive matches. In addition, new signings are absolutely necessary to compensate for the departures of top performers and key pillars such as Luka Vuskovic, Fábio Vieira, Ransford Königsdörffer, and Robert Glatzel.

The officials led by new board member for sport Kathleen Krüger and sporting director Claus Costa can look at the goalkeeping situation without concern, where Daniel Heuer Fernandes, after a remarkable past season, has a strong challenger in Norwegian keeper Sander Tangvik, who is still away at the World Cup. Behind them, there are several options, as the five goalkeepers active in training camp underline.

HSV: Who will take over from Vuskovic?

Coach Merlin Polzin also has plenty of choice in central midfield, where stabilizing presence Nicolai Remberg and Albert Sambi Lokonga are in pole position. New signing Kofi Amoako, who is quite similar in playing style to the former, is an intriguing alternative. In addition, Nicolás Capaldo, who was once signed for this position, and the very versatile Albert Grønbaek could also be deployed there.

The situation at center-back, on the other hand, looks more complicated. Standout performer Luka Vuskovic — unbelievably composed for a player still only 19 years old and also a goal threat — cannot be replaced one for one by HSV. So a new defensive leader has to be found. When Vuskovic was unavailable, Jordan Torunarigha stepped into the role. Whether he will be trusted with it permanently remains to be seen.

Nur die Raute – by HSV fans for HSV fans

Alongside Torunarigha, Capaldo, Warmed Omari, Daniel Elfadli — who was hardly considered in the second half of the season — and Shafiq Nandja, who got his first taste of Bundesliga action in the final matches of the season, are available for the back three. At least one experienced center-back is still needed. HSV had already looked into Michael Svoboda, who ultimately moved to Brighton, where Vuskovic will also play in the future. Aboubaka Soumahoro, who was pried away from France for more than two million euros in winter 2025, does not feature in the plans. He is expected to move to Mallorca in Spain’s second division.

The Hanseatic club must also act with regard to the wing-backs, especially on the right side. Bakery Jatta — almost completely left out in the first half of the past season — currently has no direct competitor after the departures of William Mikelbrencis and Giorgi Gocholeishvili. Utility man Capaldo and Fabio Baldé could fill in, but they are also needed in other positions.

How Muheim is influencing future planning

On the left, Grønbaek, who was signed permanently, replaced the injured Miro Muheim in the closing stages of the season. The World Cup quarterfinalist may need to be replaced permanently. With his contract running until 2027, his future is now a question. If the Swiss international decides against an extension, the next few weeks could be HSV’s last chance to receive a respectable transfer fee from a sale.

Behind Muheim, there is another natural left-back working with the first team: 16-year-old Louis Lemke. He is regarded as a major talent and is highly rated internally. Whether Lemke, who most recently played for the reserves, is already considered ready for a breakthrough next season is not known. What is certain, however, is that action will be needed if Muheim leaves.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miro Muheim (@mvromu)

The situation on the attacking wings is also far from satisfactory. Last season, no player from the current squad showed proper Bundesliga level there. Rayan Philippe did score five goals over the season, but he has major footballing shortcomings, which often meant he was barely involved in the game. Alexander Røssing-Lelesiit showed promising signs, but was repeatedly held back by injuries and still lacks the necessary physical robustness.

Jean-Luc Dompé, who has been sidelined since his drunk-driving incident, as well as Emir Sahiti, are both expected to leave the club this summer. Baldé, whose enormous pace causes many opponents problems, also wants to move and could bring HSV a sizable fee. If Polzin opts more often for a 3-4-3, new faces will be needed on both the left and right.

The attack as the biggest construction site

The system question would be answered quickly if Vieira were signed permanently, something HSV has still not given up on. The Portuguese is a classic playmaker, with Remberg and Lokonga freeing him up as two clear central midfielders behind him. The latter possesses similarly high footballing quality and combined excellently with Vieira.

Alongside Lokonga, Grønbaek is one of the most technically gifted players in the squad and could slot into the number ten role if keeping Vieira does not work out. Ahead of him, two strikers would play, which brings us to the biggest problem area. After the departures of Königsdörffer, Robert Glatzel, and the completely ineffective Damion Downs, Polzin currently has only two options: Yussuf Poulsen, who cannot be planned in as a permanent pillar because of his constant injuries, and homegrown talent Otto Stange, who is currently excelling at the U19 European Championship.

Photo: IMAGO

HSV are therefore looking around intensively, having recently considered Tomas Bobcek (Lechia Gdansk) and Sidiki Chérif (Fenerbahce), and are likely to invest a comparatively larger sum by their standards so they can rely not only on one dependable striker, but also have alternatives ready.

Overall, however, at least eight more signings are needed to make the squad Bundesliga-ready in every position. Krüger and Costa must think carefully about how to use their budget, which is limited compared to a large part of the competition. Loan deals — possibly, as with Vuskovic and Vieira, only finalized shortly before the transfer deadline — will therefore once again be of major importance.

Photo: IMAGO

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