Free transfer from Greece
©IMAGO
VfL Osnabrück has its first defensive signing for the coming season in the 2nd Bundesliga. Joel Abu Hanna (28), who has already gained experience in the German lower house, comes on a free transfer from Levadiakos in Greece, where his contract expires in the summer.
“With Joel we are getting a very experienced central defender who has already proven his skills in Germany, in various foreign leagues and also in the Europa League,” said Daniel Latkowski, technical director of VfL, in a club statement about the flexible Abu Hanna. “He can cover all three positions in the three-man chain as well as the left defense and left a very good impression in the discussions. His footballing qualities, his physical style of play and his leadership skills give us a new element, especially in defense, that we haven’t had in the squad before.”
With midfielder Jonathan Wensing (22) and the permanent commitment of loan striker Robin Meißner (26), VfL had already clarified two personnel for the offensive. Now the first new name is on board for the future defense of the purple-whites. “We were looking for a player for our central defense who combines sporting quality, experience and personality,” explained Joe Enochs, director of football at VfL. “Joel brings exactly this profile with him. He received excellent training in Germany, played in DFB national teams early on and then took on responsibility in several countries. This mix of training, international experience and leadership qualities fits very well with what we were looking for in our defense.”
Abu Hanna came from Bayer Leverkusen’s youth ranks, but made the leap into professional football at 1. FC Kaiserslautern. In one year at Betze, the Troisdorf native made eleven second division appearances and one cup game against Stuttgart (1:3) for the Red Devils in 2017/18. After an unsuccessful move to 1. FC Magdeburg and an injury-ridden loan to Fortuna Köln in the 3rd league, he left Germany in 2019 for Zorya Lugansk in the Ukraine. Later we went on to Legia Warsaw and Lechia Gdansk in Poland. Before moving to Greece in 2024, Abu Hanna played for Maccabi Netanya in Israel for another year, for whose national team he played six international matches in 2020 and 2021.
“I’m really looking forward to VfL. The discussions with those responsible were very open and convincing right from the start,” said Abu Hanna after signing in Osnabrück. “I immediately had the feeling that the club was following a clear plan and knew exactly what role I should play in the team. During my career, I got to know different leagues, playing styles and football cultures. I would now like to bring these experiences to VfL. For me, it’s about quickly becoming part of the team, taking responsibility and helping with my way on and off the pitch.”
