€30m signing, double relegation man: can HE end this Bundesliga slump?

€30m signing, double relegation man: can HE end this Bundesliga slump? Hamburg’s new sporting director Kathleen Krüger has to take things slowly. The “second-season syndrome,” which says that promoted teams often slip in their second year after a strong first season, is not supposed to happen at HSV. Since the transfer business last season, with Vuskovic, Vieira and Sambi Lokonga, resembled what you would otherwise expect from a Michelin-star kitchen, the bar is set extremely high.  One of the ingredients for a successful new season is now official – Patson Daka. The 27-year-old joins on a free transfer from Leicester City, who, within two seasons, dropped from the Premier League to England’s third tier. In the past disastrous season for the 2016 English champions, Daka at least managed five goals and four assists. But is that enough to finally plug the huge gap that was already gaping in Hamburg’s central attack last season? After all, with the departure of Ransford Königsdörffer, it has only grown even bigger.  That question is actually not easy to answer. Daka has had two long-term spells in his career, and they could hardly have gone more differently. While the Zambian never fully convinced at Leicester after his 2021 move, he tore the entire league apart at his previous club.  And that is no hyperbole. In 2019/20, the center-forward put up 32 goal contributions in 31 games for RB Salzburg and topped that incredible mark the following year with 34 goal contributions in 28 games. So once he gets going, he seems almost unstoppable. It is no surprise that Leicester reportedly paid 30 million euros for the striker in 2021.  At the former Premier League club, however, the engine began to sputter. Across all competitions, he never managed more than 12 goal contributions in 30 to 40 games, depending on the season, and before his departure there were only the already mentioned nine in 41 games in England’s second division.  And despite the only moderately successful last few years on the island, there is definitely reason for hope for everyone backing the Rothosen. The international appears to be arriving in the Hanseatic city with plenty of energy and motivation. As 'Bild' reports, Daka reportedly had significantly more lucrative offers on the table, with longer contract terms as well. Even so, the forward chose HSV because he was looking for the sporting challenge and wanted to prove himself again on the big stage.  At the training camp, the new striker is said to have drawn attention right away in his first session. In one game, he reportedly scored twice immediately, prompting some teammates to nod in approval, according to 'Bild'.  That he is delivering right away on the pitch is not necessarily surprising given his Salzburg past. Although, from Hamburg’s point of view, it may be coming from the wrong mouth, the new signing is already heading toward the Bundesliga with plenty of praise in his luggage. Former Werder player Zlatko Junuzovic, who was also Daka’s teammate in Salzburg, raved about him in the highest terms to 'Mopo'. “If he shows what I experienced together with him, HSV will get a lot of joy out of him,” the Austrian told the journalists.  Junuzovic also had a few words to say about his former teammate’s core strengths: “He is athletic and brutally fast. If you send Patson through, he is a real weapon,” the 38-year-old continued.  With the free transfer of the former 30-million-euro man, HSV are doing nothing wrong financially or sporting-wise for now. But whether Patson Daka will ultimately become the longed-for secret ingredient for a successful season will have to be shown on the pitch. One thing is clear: if he really develops into the hoped-for weapon in central attack, Hamburg have a good chance of not letting the ghostly “second-season syndrome” arise in the first place. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.