David Bates loaned out to Cercle Brugge for a year

Hamburger SV have sent David Bates out on loan for another season, as the Scot joins Belgian first division side Cercle Brugge until summer 2021. The team from the picturesque city of Bruges ended the 2019/20 Jupiler Pro League in 14th position way back in April when the league was cancelled, and the new season gets underway for Cercle on Saturday (8th August) with a home game against RSC Charleroi. 

“David is a great guy, but the last year was riddled with injuries for him. Now he’s taking on a new challenge and we wish him all the best for his year in Bruges,” were sporting director Michael Mutzel’s parting words to the Scot. 

Bates joined the Hamburg side from Rangers in the summer of 2018, making 28 appearances in the campaign that followed, getting his name on the scoresheet once. The 23-year-old central defender spent last season on loan in the English second tier with Sheffield Wednesday, but was only able to make one appearance for the team from the Steel City. With the hope of gaining more experience, the four-time Scottish international will spend the next season at the traditional Belgian side, before hoping to make his way back into the HSV team, with his contract at the Volksparkstadion running out in the summer of 2022.