Union’s Levin Öztunali (right) leaves Union Berlin Photo: City Press
From BZ/dpa
The grandson of club idol Uwe Seeler comes to Hamburger SV. Levin Öztunali is returning to HSV on a free transfer from 1. FC Union Berlin ten years after leaving Hamburg, as the second division club announced on Tuesday.
The offensive player has a contract with the Hanseatic League until 2026. The 27-year-old played in Hamburg’s junior teams from 2006 to 2013. He then went to Bayer Leverkusen U19s. He later played for Werder Bremen and Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga before he came to Union.
“Of course I’ve always followed HSV, but so far I’ve only been to the Volksparkstadion as an opponent or a fan,” Öztunali said. “Being able to play here as an HSV player is an absolute dream for me. So I’m just happy to be back.”
Sports director Jonas Boldt knows Öztunali from his own time in Leverkusen. “My history with Levin began ten years ago, so I’m all the more pleased that we were able to bring Levin home,” he said.
With his professional attitude, his power and the high level of identification with HSV, Öztunali “represents an important factor in our squad composition,” said the board.
Öztunali has played 212 competitive professional games in the past ten seasons. He scored 13 goals and prepared 29 goals. The U21 European champion of 2017 is the son of Uwe Seeler’s daughter Frauke.