Hamburg’s record player in the 2nd league
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VfL Bochum has unsuccessfully advertised for the services of HSV winger Bakery Jatta. This is reported by the “Mopo“. The Revierklub tried to loan the 26-year-old for the mission to stay in the Bundesliga. And Jatte himself was certainly impressed by the relegation candidate’s recruitment, where he met Dieter Hecking again. According to reports, the experienced trainer was also primarily responsible for the interest in the Gambian.
However, there will be no winter transfer because Merlin Polzin, who was recently promoted to head coach at HSV, convinced Jatta in a conversation to stay on the Elbe. The right winger, along with substitute keeper Tom Mickel (35), is Hamburg’s longest-serving professional and was the only outfield player to experience relegation to the second division. He played a total of 16 times for HSV in the upper house in 2016/17 and 2017/18. Under Hecking, who coached the Rothosen in 2019/20 and missed their return to the Bundesliga, Jatta was on the pitch 33 times and delivered four goals and two assists.
This season, however, the long-running favorite is not getting back on track. The offensive man, who is contractually bound until 2029, was missing at the start of the season due to a torn ligament and then struggled to build on his previous form. Including the 18th matchday, Jatta was only considered for the starting lineup seven times across all competitions. With an estimate of 1.5 million euros, he is now a long way from the highest market value of his career – 2.5 million euros in 2019. Interested party Bochum is still without any new arrivals in this transfer period.
Exactly a year ago, Jatta extended his contract with the North Germans long-term, which is also viewed critically in the TM community. “I also thought the contract extension was right, just five years was two too many. Maybe they really wanted the extension, but he wanted (even) more money, who knows,” wrote user “HSV-Champ” at the beginning of January and expressed the hope that coach Polzin will “get” Jatta back: “His speed can be a weapon in the 2nd league and also help after a possible promotion. But I don’t see him as a regular player yet, so he would have to take one or two steps forward.” With 180 appearances, Jatta is Hamburg’s record player in the 2nd league.
