Already 25 goals this season
Hannover 96 signs talented striker
01/17/2026 – 9:04 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Dangerous new signing for Hannover 96: A 25-goal man from Hamburg is now storming for the “Reds”. But he is not yet planned for the professionals.
In the first half of the season, the 20-year-old scored 25 goals in 21 competitive games for Hamburg, currently second in the Oberliga table. There are also three goal assists. Hannover 96 have been watching Sinanovic for a long time and still see a lot of potential in him, said U23 coach Daniel Stendel. “Merlin is a very interesting young player who knows where the goal is.”
At Eimsbütteler TV, the offensive player leaves a gap in the fight for promotion to the regional league. Coach Can Schultz was still proud: “Merlin is an extremely hard-working boy and the entire ETV is proud of him and his development. I am convinced that he can still develop further under the conditions he will find at Hannover.”
The ETV has proven itself several times in recent years as a stepping stone into professional football. Piet Scobel attracted attention in 2024/25 with 26 goals in 22 games, moved to 1. FC Nürnberg and has been part of the second division squad there since November 2025. Raif Adam went to HSV-U21 in the summer of 2025 and recently moved from there to SV Elversberg.
Sinanovic is likely to hope for a similar path when he moves to the 96 Academy. The offensive player was trained up to the U17 level at Hamburger SV, then his path took him via Holstein Kiel and SV Todesfelde to Eimsbüttel.
