Team

Perrin looking to build on an impressive debut

The French summer signing celebrated his competitive debut in HSV colours during the 3-1 win over Magdeburg, playing an important part in ensuring the result despite being down to ten men.

It is not often that Jean-Luc Dompe is seen with a smile on his face when having to leave the football pitch after seeing his number on the substitutions board. However, the Frenchman was more than happy to depart the field on Sunday to make way for his compatriot Lucas Perrin. Head coach Steffen Baumgart opted for a tactical change, having to “sacrifice” his tricky winger after captain Sebastian Schonlau got sent off, bringing on centre-back Perrin to sure up the defence. It was a decision that paid off as the 25-year-old summer signing from Racing Strasbourg slotted in well alongside Elfadli, Muheim and co. During his short time on the pitch, Perrin let his presence be known with his tackles and provided the composure on the ball that his team needed, especially after Kaars’ goal to reduce the deficit to 3-1 shortly after the substitution could have potentially thrown a spanner in the works.

Debut for HSV follows birth of second child

That match served as Perrin’s first competitive appearance in HSV colours. After joining the club on 30th August, this year’s summer transfer deadline day, the French defender worked his way up to match fitness over many training sessions and friendly matches. He was unavailable yet again for the fixture just prior to the most recent international break, although this time around for positive reasons. The cause was that the player, who was born in Marseille and learned his trade with home-town big-name side Olympique, became a father for the second time and was in Hamburg supporting his wife with the birth of their son.

Perrin returned to the team during the international break, during which, on top of the training sessions, he played 80 minutes of the friendly match against Aarhus GF (1-1), where he impressed. “Lucas is very strong in his tackles and knows how he wants to play. He hardly lost a duel, provides lots of experience and does not let his composure wane in any moment,” judged Baumgart, adding a prediction. “It was first and foremost important for him physically to be able to get out and play a match. Like every other player in the squad he will be needed for sure.”

That was the case on Sunday when Perrin proved his quality by racking up a passing accuracy of 80% and winning the vital tackles. The red card picked up by captain Sebastian Schonlau for a foul as the last defender means he will be suspended next time out, providing a potential opportunity for the 25-year-old Frenchman to showcase himself once again in the league clash with SV Elversberg. He will not only be hoping to get his next minutes in a HSV shirt in that match but also that he can once again celebrate success with his teammates and compatriots. Alongside Perrin and Dompe, William Mikelbrencis, who came on for the final few minutes in the previous game, completes the trio of French players at the Volksparkstadion.