HSV sports director Costa on coach Polzin & Baumgart’s failure

HSV manager in an interview, part 2

“Tried six times, nothing happened six times. After a lot of drama, the football gods will be lenient in 2025 and Hamburger SV will finally return to the Bundesliga,” Transfermarkt introduced his XXL chronicle published in May. Claus Costa experienced the madness from the second attempt and made many adjustments. In the second part of the TM interview, the HSV sports director talks about the unfortunate start of new signing Yussuf Poulsen, the failed Nice transfer of Ransford Königsdörffer and reveals what he missed when assessing the loan of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. The 41-year-old also speaks about the “impressive” trainer Merlin Polzin and the failure of his predecessor Steffen Baumgart.

Transfer market: Mr. Costa, about new signing Yussuf Poulsen, who has been prone to injuries in the past, coach Merlin Polzin said: “We always knew and said that ‘Yussi’ would not play 34 games over 90 minutes because of his history.” After almost a fifth of the season, Poulsen has only played 50 minutes. Was the risk too great?

Costa: I am also cautious about making an interim assessment of this transfer. You should let ‘Yussi’ really sink in first. The playing time is particularly disappointing for him. And we certainly wished that he would reach 100 percent fitness sooner. Nevertheless, it would be a huge mistake to reduce ‘Yussi’ to his times on the pitch. Due to the departure of some spokespeople in the cabin, we no longer had one axle available. That’s why it was really important to add personality, experience, character and quality off the pitch to the team. He has a significant impact on the group and contributes completely to the dressing room.

Transfer market: The goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, who was on loan from FC Bayern, is said to have reacted very disappointedly to the number 1 decision for Daniel Heuer Fernandes. Munich sports director Max Eberl said: “There may have been promises made beforehand that are then not kept. I cannot and do not want to judge to what extent the promise to Daniel was that he would be No. 1 at HSV. It was very clearly signaled to me that you can imagine that very well at HSV.” What was the exact deal with Peretz?

Costa: Together with the coaching team, we showed him a perspective, but it was also completely clear that we already had an absolute top man in ‘Ferro’. After Matheo Raab’s departure, we wanted to position ourselves at the top, like in all other positions – if possible, also at the top. This opportunity arose for us with Daniel. And until the end it was a really close race between the goalkeepers. The outcome is not satisfactory for him, his great disappointment was human, anything else would have surprised me too. But he has drawn strength from it, gives his all every day and has taken this competition to a new level. Daniel is an outstanding character. When assessing the transfers, I miss the fact that Daniel Peretz was also a dream solution and a top transfer for us because we can rely on him 100 percent.

Transfer market: Despite the major upheaval, the statistics only show a transfer loss of 1.6 million euros. Would there still be financial resources for retrofitting in the winter?

Costa: We haven’t talked about a concrete transfer budget for the winter yet. It is still a bit too early to determine the needs anyway. But in the club, Eric (Finance Director Huwer; editor) managed very well and sustainably, which gave Stefan (sports director Kuntz; editor) and me freedom of movement in the transfer market. There is no pressure to sell three players – we can operate from our strengths.

Costa on Königsdörffer’s stay at HSV and impressive things about Polzin

Transfer market: Ransford Königsdörffer’s transfer to Nice collapsed on the home stretch due to “health concerns”. Is there still an extension at HSV?

Costa: We had a transparent and very good exchange with ‘Ransi’. And he knows what he has in this club. From his point of view, Nice was a unique opportunity with the prospect of playing in the Champions League, which he would have liked to have taken advantage of. Under certain conditions we could have managed it. His new onboarding process at HSV was just as clear as he told us about his desire to move – it took a quarter of an hour. (laughs) For us it was never gone, nothing stuck on either side. We are in normal contact with his management. If there is a new stand, everyone will definitely notice. (smiles)

HSV attacker Ransford Königsdörffer (r.), who played a key role in the promotion, is still waiting for his first goal of the season in the Bundesliga

Transfer market: As a native of Hamburg, trainer Merlin Polzin is living his dream and always seems clear and cool. At just 34 years old, doesn’t anything really faze him?

Costa: What I find absolutely impressive about Merlin: He exudes an extremely great sense of calm. This is also because he has trust in his coaching team and feels the backing and support of the entire club. We are in daily communication about all topics that concern the team. Merlin is not just a football coach. Not only does he focus on game tactics and training, but he has quickly developed into a head coach who has the bigger picture in mind. Merlin manages the staff and the group, can calm those around him, is very clear about what he wants and trusts in the quality of the people working around him. That’s why we had a shared conviction after the first few games. Nothing happens by chance, but the coaching team follows a plan.

Transfer market: What does Polzin have that his predecessors didn’t?

Costa: I would compare him less with the others. Merlin has had many years of observation to know what adjustments are needed to achieve short-term success. In a sense, he was able to prepare himself for the day when the time had come for him. Merlin knew each player in detail and knew how to approach them on a human level. At the same time, he had a footballing idea and knew which player felt most comfortable in which position. He always sees first what the player can do and not what he can’t do or can do poorly. Merlin had the team completely behind him from day one.

“Legitimate question”: Costa comments on Baumgart’s failure at HSV

Transfer market: In the documentary “Always Hamburg”, which shed light on the last year and a half leading up to promotion, you said about the failure of Polzin’s predecessor Steffen Baumgart: “This fit between the squad and Steffen’s game idea – finding a good mix was not so easy.” The coach would have “preferred to play something different than the player quality or player profiles suggested. Accordingly, there was never such complete conviction in the approaches.” Isn’t this something that should have been noticed before Baumgart was hired?

Costa: Legitimate question. Looking back, one can perhaps say from the outside: we should have known that beforehand. But the idea behind it was that the mix of the squad’s playing quality in combination with Steffen’s positive emotionality, energy, his idea of ​​football and intensity could be the crucial piece of the puzzle, coupled with a little less possession of the ball. In the end it didn’t work out the way we and Steffen wanted it to.

Transfer market: If you only finally get promoted at the seventh attempt, you can’t always have done everything right. What omissions did you identify?

Costa: At this point it is important to say how complex football is and how diverse this puzzle is, every single piece of which has to fit together in the end so that you as HSV can achieve promotion in this tight 2nd Bundesliga. Nuances were always missing. If we look at it the other way around: we always managed to adapt and put together a team that managed to be at the top until the end. There was never a shambles, but rather a continuous, persistent process with the feeling of getting one step closer to the goal.

The connection between Steffen Baumgart and HSV did not prove to be a perfect match. The coach, now at Union Berlin, had to pack his things in November 2024 after 27 games with a points average of 1.59

Transfer market: The snapshot of 9th place just ahead of northern rivals St. Pauli and Werder Bremen makes HSV fans smile. What will it take to not only ensure relegation but also to establish the club permanently in the Bundesliga?

Costa: It is not the right time to make comparisons with other clubs, some of which are doing exceptionally good work. I am convinced that the unity and patience from the recent past – with the trust in the coaching staff and the team – will be crucial. That we manage to get through the difficult times that will definitely come together. This is the solidarity we need most.

This is how HSV sports director Costa thinks about his future

Transfer market: Your own contract runs until June 2026. That’s not an incredibly long time for an incumbent sports manager. What’s next for you at HSV?

Costa: The most important thing in the summer was to focus all our energy on restructuring the squad. We’ll definitely have time to talk about other topics in the next few weeks.

Transfer market: So is an extension conceivable for you?

Costa: A rhetorical question at the end. (laughs) HSV is not just an employer – Hamburg has also become home. I think we have taken a very good path and I can of course imagine continuing on this path.

Click here for part 1: HSV sports director Claus Costa talks about frustration after missing promotions, conviction after the big squad change, the late top transfers Luka Vuskovic, Fábio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga as well as the close exchange with Tottenham.

Interview: Philipp Marquardt