News blog about Hamburger SV
Transfer fixed: HSV signs Damion Downs
Updated on January 7, 2026 – 1:42 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Hamburger SV is one of the largest clubs in Germany. The news ticker on t-online contains all the important reports about the “Rothosen”.
The Hamburger SV has introduced its first new signing for the second half of the season: Damion Downs is now strengthening the attack. The 21-year-old German-American is moving to the Elbe from English second division club FC Southampton on a six-month loan deal and will wear the number 19 on his shirt.
Sports director Claus Costa highlighted the striker’s profile: “Damion is a vertical center forward who has a good mix of size, speed and depth.” With his presence in the penalty area and his qualities in the transition game, Downs fits well into the requirements profile HSV.
The US youth international was trained at 1. FC Köln. In the 2023/24 season he gained his first Bundesliga experience there (ten appearances, two goals). Previously, Downs played a key role in the “Effzeh”‘s promotion to the Bundesliga with ten goals and five assists. He then moved to England for around eight million euros.
When looking for a replacement for goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, HSV apparently has their first candidate in mind. The Bulgarian portal “sportal.bg” connected Hendrik Bonmann with the Hamburg team on Wednesday. The 31-year-old has been under contract with top club Ludogorets Razgrad since 2024 and his working paper runs until 2027.
Bonmann shares the role of regular goalkeeper for the Europa League participants with the Dutchman Sergio Padt. This season, the Essen native has been in goal in eleven league games, played three times in the Europa League and five times in the Champions League qualifiers. In Germany, Bonmann played for the BVB U23, 1860 Munich and the Würzburger Kickers, among others.
In the summer of 2025, Hendrik Bonmann was considered a candidate at Bayern Munich – there he was supposed to replace Daniel Peretz, who was loaned to HSV. Despite discussions, FC Bayern refrained from making a transfer.
After the sudden departure of Stefan Kuntz, the position of sports director at Hamburger SV is vacant. The big question is: Who will be the successor to the 63-year-old, who resigned for personal reasons? According to a report in “Sportbild”, a prominent name is also being discussed on the HSV supervisory board. Accordingly, former DFB director Oliver Bierhoff is one of the people who could be imagined for the position.