Six departures have been confirmed
©IMAGO
FC St. Pauli has so far been able to present one external newcomer compared to six departures. In the youth ranks, a promising striker talent may now have the opportunity to show himself in the team of the Bundesliga relegated team: Wissou Kaba (18) receives his first professional contract in Hamburg. Before the upcoming season in the 2nd Bundesliga, the FCSP could face a major upheaval.
The four-time U18 national player Kaba delivered eleven goals and four assists in 21 appearances for the U19s this season and was also used for the second team for the first time in three substitute appearances. Kaba will probably now play a larger role there after the U23s were relegated to the fifth division. St. Pauli’s sports director Andreas Bornemann did not go into more detail about the 1.90 meter tall striker’s planned area of operation in a club statement. The official emphasized: “We are pleased that Wissou is continuing his chosen path with us and that we can continue to work with him on his sporting development.”
For the new season after relegation, St. Pauli has only signed a new midfielder, the Australian Sam Klein (22). There could be drastic changes for the brown and white team, especially in this part of the team. So far, the offensive midfielder Danel Sinani (29), whose contract is expiring, and loan player James Sands (25), who was considered an important pillar of the neighborhood club but was missing for a long time due to an injury, have been said goodbye. Immediately after the confirmed relegation, captain Jackson Irvine (33) announced that he wanted to stay. Whether this actually happens has recently been increasingly questioned. In addition, Connor Metcalfe (26) is said to be dissatisfied after his supporting role in the Bundesliga squad. It is considered unlikely that Joel Chima Fujita (24) – the most valuable player in the squad – will remain.
Should the players mentioned actually no longer appear at the Millerntor in the future, in addition to new signing Klein Stand, Mathias Rasmussen (28), who was signed in the winter and could play an important role, the talents Marwin Schmitz (19) and Nick Schmidt (18) and possibly loan returnee Erik Ahlstrand (24), who coach Alexander Blessin could rely on, will remain in the midfield. Even for the trainer, saying goodbye or staying is still up in the air.
The imminent departure of the crowd favorite Hauke Wahl (32) would also be bitter for Hamburg in defense. A change from Eric Smith (29), which has been discussed for some time, would deprive the team of another top performer. The fact that regular Karol Mets (33) is leaving at the end of his contract has also already been made public. With goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj (30, end of contract), substitute keeper Emil Gazdov (22, loan) and striker Andréas Hountondji (23), the number of confirmed departures alongside Sinani, Sands and Mets is now six. There are likely to be a few more to come.