Nur die Raute
·24 juillet 2025
'Suits my style': HSV gem on the verge of a breakthrough in new role?

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Yahoo sportsNur die Raute
·24 juillet 2025
HSV may have found a new gem. In the current preparation, winter newcomer Aboubaka Soumahoro impresses in an interesting intermediate role.
With Aboubaka Soumahoro, Hamburger SV secured a talent with great potential in January. The Frenchman, who came from Ligue-2 club FC Paris for around two million euros, is expected to play a key role in the defense line in the new Bundesliga season. The special feature: For the just 20-year-old, a position between central defense and defensive midfield is planned.
Soumahoro has the necessary profile for this: He is strong on the ball, technically outstanding, and tactically intelligent. No wonder the coaching team around Merlin Polzin and assistant coach Loïc Favé hold him in high regard. “The coaches regularly talk to me about their expectations and my role,” Soumahoro reports in an interview with the Hamburger Abendblatt. “I like both positions and think the hybrid role suits my playing style well.”
Even in Paris, he was used both in central defense and as a defensive midfielder. At HSV, he is now planned as the central part of the back three, from where he should advance into midfield situationally. The game build-up is supposed to run significantly through him. This responsibility is unusual for a player of his age, but Soumahoro feels ready for it. “The coaching team talked a lot with me about what my role looks like and what my tasks are,” he says. Especially the French communication with Favé helps him enormously.
He acquired his technical skills while playing futsal. Quick decisions in tight spaces are among his strengths. He already hinted at this in the test matches against Copenhagen (0:1) and Graz (1:2), where he was one of the most active players in ball progression.
It is therefore more than conceivable that Soumahoro will also be in the starting lineup for the Bundesliga opener against Borussia Mönchengladbach. “We will see,” says the youngster, clearly not one for big words, himself.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.