Team

Elijah Krahn recieves professional contract and extends it

The 19-year-old midfielder signs a contract until 2025. "A sign of our good work with young talent", says Claus Costa

HSV binds another young player for the coming years: Elija Krahn extends his contract with the Rothosen until the summer of 2025 and also receives his first professional player contract. "Elijah is another example of the good youth work in our campus. He has developed step by step over the past few years and has already been able to gain his first experience at the professional level. Now it's a matter of confirming this for him and letting further steps follow," says Director of Professional Football Claus Costa.

"I am very pleased to be given the chance to continue my path at HSV. I feel the trust of those responsible and would like to repay them," says the Hamburg native, who started playing football at SC Concordia. In the 2015/16 season, Krahn transferred to the NLZ of the Rothosen as a D-youth player and subsequently played his way through the youth teams. Last season, he celebrated his professional debut on 6 February 2022.

On that day, HSV won 5-0 away at the then league leaders SV Darmstadt and Krahn directly contributed his first goal assist in this match. "He is a very ambitious player who always remains modest at the same time," says Costa, describing the strengths of the 19-year-old defensive midfielder, who has also had to overcome setbacks in his young career. His first professional appearance was followed by a lengthy period of injury at the end of last season and at the beginning of the current season. First, Krahn tore a syndesmosis ligament, which caused him to miss the entire summer preparation, followed by another setback after his return with a torn knee ligament.

But Krahn fought his way back and after short appearances on matchday 27 at home against Hannover 96 (6:1) and on matchday 29 in the derby against FC St. Pauli (4:3), the homegrown player made his first appearance in the starting eleven for head coach Tim Walter at the away match in Magdeburg (matchday 30, 2:3), who attested him a good performance in the important midfield role despite the defeat. Now the three-time U17 and one-time U19 national player of the DFB is expected to make further appearances with the raute on his chest.