HSV facing major squad overhaul: Where Hamburg urgently needs to strengthen

The first professional contract for Shafiq Bello Nandja is a signal towards the future for HSV – and an indication that the club wants to bring its own youth closer to the first team. However, this changes little about the central task: After returning to the Bundesliga, Hamburg faces a summer in which several parts of the squad must be restructured if the second year in the top flight is not to become a struggle.

Nandja is a prospect – the need in central defense remains acute

HSV made the signing of the central defender public on May 21. Nandja (born 2007), at the club since 2018, had already trained with the first team in the second half of the season and celebrated his Bundesliga debut in mid-May in the 3:2 win against Freiburg. Nandja himself said that signing the contract made "a dream come true." Sporting director Claus Costa also described the step as logical: "Shafiq has more than earned this step with a lot of hard work and discipline."

As fitting as this personnel move is as a development step – in sporting terms, it does not solve the structural question that arises in central defense. With Luka Vuskovic, HSV loses an important loan player; the defender came from Tottenham Hotspur and will initially return to London after the end of his loan. Even beyond this departure, the backline remains an area where not only additions are needed, but quality must be replaced.

There is also a timing imbalance: Mario Vuskovic is expected to return in the fall after serving a doping ban. Even if he becomes an option again then, HSV cannot postpone squad planning for the start of the season to a later date. For a promoted team that needs stability over 34 matchdays, there is much to suggest that central defense should be strengthened twice – with players who can deliver Bundesliga level immediately, not just grow into it over time.

Offense lacks punch – and substance after departures

The pressure to act is even clearer in attack. Fabio Vieira returns to Arsenal after his loan ends. HSV thus loses not only a creative player, but also someone who was frequently involved in end product last season. The club must fill this gap anew – especially since the chances of signing him again are considered rather low, even if they do not seem completely ruled out compared to other loan players.

Additionally, the future of Albert Grönbaek is not yet settled: he would have to be signed permanently, both sides are basically interested in continuing, but the decisive factor will be the still pending or awaited talks with Stade Rennes. In this situation, HSV risks that a "readjustment" in attack could turn into a complete overhaul.

The record from last season shows why Hamburg needs more than just a supplementary player in attack: 40 goals in 34 games is a figure that quickly leads to tight matches and high pressure for results for a team that wants to survive in the Bundesliga.

In the center forward position, the output was spread across several shoulders, without a reliable striker consistently scoring double digits: Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer scored five goals, Rayan Philippe also five, Robert Glatzel three, Yussuf Poulsen one. Königsdörffer will also leave HSV on a free transfer to Mainz – a transfer that also shows the gap between an established Bundesliga club and a returnee who has to earn that status again.

From a sporting perspective, this results in a demanding profile: at least one attacker with a clear scoring record is needed, who also works in pressing and defensive duties. Especially if HSV – as planned – wants to play with a back three and system variants like 3-4-3 or 3-5-2, the effectiveness up front depends heavily on how cleanly and regularly the half-spaces and flanks are supplied. Last season, this consistency in crosses and deliveries, for example via Jean-Luc Dompé and Fabio Baldé, was too rare. More goal threat in the center is therefore not just a personnel issue, but also a question of structure and service.

Flanks: thinly staffed – right side an open construction site

The overhaul does not end in the center. On the flanks, the squad is vulnerable in depth – and this is usually the area in the Bundesliga where injuries, suspensions, and fluctuations in form quickly lead to a loss of quality.

On the left, Miro Muheim has shown, according to those around the club, passable Bundesliga level. That is precisely why a reliable backup would make sense there: less as a luxury, more as insurance, so that performance is not tied to a single player. On the right, the situation is much more open. The model of Giorgi Gocholeishvili, William Mikelbrencis, and Bakery Jatta did not provide a consistently convincing solution: Gocholeishvili will not be signed after his loan ends, Mikelbrencis' contract is expiring – and overall, there was a lack of consistent proof over the season that this side is both defensively stable and offensively productive.

Especially in a style of play that aims to create width, deep runs, and crosses through wingbacks, the right side becomes a key issue: without reliable dynamism and quality out wide, HSV risks that the offensive problems from last season will continue – regardless of who plays in the center forward position.

Squad depth and spine: Much is still a "framework"

The fact that Hamburg has to adjust several areas at once this summer also has to do with the structure of the squad after the promotion season: many key players were loan players. The goalkeeper position with Daniel Heuer Fernandes and Sander Tangvik is considered comparatively stable. In other parts of the team, however, the squad seems more like a loose framework that must first be rebuilt into a Bundesliga-ready spine.

With Kofi Amoako, HSV has already signed a first new player; the defensive midfielder comes from Dynamo Dresden. The transfer is a building block – but not yet an answer to the central challenge arising from departures, unresolved personnel, and the goal of "staying up."

In summary: Nandja's professional contract fits the strategy of bringing talents up more quickly. For short-term competitiveness, however, it is mainly a signal for the future. If HSV does not want to get into a constant survival battle in its second Bundesliga year, several immediately reliable solutions are needed – especially in central defense, attack, and on the flanks.