Club’s Coaching Staff And Sporting Director Convinced Southampton Star On Move
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Hamburg sporting director Claus Costa, manager Merlin Polzin and assistant manager Loic Fave played crucial roles in convincing Southampton star Damion Downs to join the German club.
Last summer, Southampton splashed cash in the market to add firepower in their striking department and brought in Downs from 1.FC Koln.
However, the 21-year-old is yet to score a goal for the Saints and he suffered an injury in late November which has kept him out of the squad since then.
New boss Tonda Eckert in December stated that Southampton’s hierarchy must be ready to face a busy transfer window and they are planning to offload Downs, with the player drawing interest from Germany.
Hamburg are admirers of the American international’s talents and they went with an enquiry regarding his availability, amid the player having been unhappy with his situation at St Mary’s.
The Bundesliga outfit have managed to strike a loan deal with Southampton to take Downs back to Germany, where he flourished in the colours of Koln.
According to German magazine Sport Bild, on Monday, Hamburg sporting director Costa and manager Polzin, with his assistant manager Fave, convinced Downs by giving him a clear picture of how they will be able to help him during his loan spell.
A deal is yet to be completed, as the striker is set to undergo his medical with the German outfit today before he signs a deal with them.
Hamburg have negotiated an option-to-buy clause for €10m which they can trigger in the summer if Downs impresses them with his performances.
Downs’ time at Southampton has been unimpressive so far, as he managed only one start in the Championship with an assist on the opening day of the season against Wrexham.
Southampton also want to do incoming business this month.
Saints are looking to introduce depth in the goalkeeper department and they are set to pay a €400,000 loan fee to sign Daniel Peretz from Bayern Munich.
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