HSV sign Martin Harnik on loan

After two departures on transfer deadline day, the final arrival of the summer window is here in the form of Martin Harnik, signing on loan for the Rothosen from northern rivals Werder Bremen. The native Hamburg man passed his medical on Monday (2nd September), signing on the dotted line soon after. “Before signing Martin we had a long, hard think about what would be good for us as a team and how we can continue to be successful. All of us came to the conclusion to sign an experienced player, who has got a great record in whichever league he’s played in, whether it be assists or goals,” was manager Hecking’s reasoning for the signing. 

Harnik can point to spells at VfB Stuttgart, Hannover 96 and Werder Bremen on his CV, which have seen him play in 240 Bundesliga games, scoring 66 times and providing 36 assists. Harnik’s record in the second tier is even more impressive; in 60 games for Fortuna Düsseldorf and Hannover, the Austrian has contributed towards 35 goals in 60 games, with one goal every two games. Despite growing up in Hamburg, the striker has Austrian roots and has played 68 times for his national team, scoring 15 goals in the process.