Transfer News: HSV Sign Holstein Kiel Midfielder – Reis and Selke to Leave?
Hamburger SV officially announced the signing of 24 year old midfielder Nicolai Remberg from Holstein Kiel; Elsewhere, Ludovit Reis and Davie Selke appear likely to depart.
HSV bolster midfield with “Rambo” from Holstein Kiel:
Hamburger SV have made their first official signing since earning promotion back to the Bundesliga in the form of 24 year old midfielder Nicolai Remberg from Holstein Kiel. The transfer, which had first been reported last week by Kicker, was officially announced by the club on Monday. The deal was done without negotiation between HSV and Holstein Kiel, as the Red Shorts triggered the 2.5 million euro release clause in the midfielder’s contract (which runs until 2028). Remberg, nicknamed “Rambo,” was a key player for the Storks when they earned their first ever promotion to the Bundesliga in 2023/24, and this past season in their first ever Bundesliga season.
HSV Sporting Director Stefan Kuntz spoke highly of Remberg, and what he will bring to the HSV midfield in the club’s return to the Bundesliga after a seven year absence, stating that “Nicolai has continued to develop and work his way up over the past years thanks to his strong work ethic and eagerness to learn… His physicality and resilience will be a great addition to our squad and our game” (hsv.de).
In the club’s official online announcement, Remberg highlighted what he hopes to bring to the Red Shorts, and shared his excitement for the new challenge:
“I want to bring my strengths to the team, show my physical presence, and win as many battles as I can out on the pitch… It’s a real honour to wear the HSV shirt. In my conversations with the club’s management, it became clear what kind of role I can take on here and the journey we want to go on – both as a team and personally” (hsv.de)
Remberg was one of the featured players at Holstein Kiel over the past two seasons. In their 2023/24 campaign, in which the club from Schleswig-Holstein earned their first ever promotion to the Bundesliga, Remberg made 32 appearances (16 starts), scoring twice and notching two assists. This past season in the Bundesliga, Remberg was a regular starter, featuring from the outset in 26 of his 32 appearances, with the only two matches he missed entirely being due to yellow card suspensions. Though Kiel were relegated right back to the 2.Bundesliga, finishing second to last ahead of only VfL Bochum, Remberg was a bright spot in the midfield for the Storks.
While he didn’t score last season, and only notched on assist, Remberg’s work rate, physicality and versatility within the midfield stand out. Per the Bundesliga website, Remberg won 98 aerial duels last season, tied for 11th in the league and the most out of any Holstein Kiel player. Remberg’s physical presence could also be seen in his card accumulation, earning a league-leading 11 yellow cards throughout last season (though never earning a red card).
Another of Remberg’s strengths is his versatility. Last season in the Bundesliga he made appearances as both a number six in the defensive midfield and a number eight in the central midfield. While he wasn’t ever listed as an offensive midfielder for any matches last season, he featured as an attacking midfielder for Kiel several times in 2023/24 in the 2.Bundesliga.
This versatility will likely be important, as it is not yet quite clear who will be joining Remberg in the Hamburg midfield next year. Jonas Meffert would figure to be the primary option in the central defensive midfield, a role which he has steadily filled for HSV over the past several seasons, but Meffo has never played in the Bundesliga, and how the 30 year old will adapt to the increase in level of play remains to be seen.
Perhaps more likely for Remberg is the number eight role. Merlin Polzin primarily played a 4-3-3 system, in which Meffert served as a number six, and the rest of the midfield trio was a double number eight setup, usually consisting of Ludovit Reis and either Adam Karabec or Ransford Königsdörffer.
Though nothing is official yet, it appears that Reis – one of the key players in the Hamburg midfield over the past few seasons – may be departing the club this summer (more on that later). Karabec’s loan to HSV from Sparta Prague runs out at the end of June, and whether or not the move will become permanent remains to be seen. Königsdörffer is a natural forward, who slotted into the attacking midfield role late in the season to great effect, but it’s still reasonable to expect that he’ll spend most of his time with the front three.
Should Reis and Karabec both depart, Remberg will likely slide into one of the number eight roles as a starter from day one, with Meffert in the number six role, and some other transfer arrival likely taking the other midfield position.
It has not yet been announced which jersey number Remberg will take. With Kiel he wore #22, though that number is currently occupied by Aboubaka Soumahoro with HSV.
Reis to leave for Belgium?
As mentioned above, it has been rumored in the weeks since the end of the season that HSV’s best midfielder may be on the move. Ludovit Reis, who is only under contract for one more year, appears to be aiming for a transfer to Club Brugge in Belgium. Brugge, who are a regular in the Champions League, and made it to the round of 16 last season before losing to Aston Villa, can offer Reis European football. Though they are not directly qualified for the Champions League league phase, they are in the playoffs to make it there, and will be considered one of the favorites to do so.
Kicker first reported Reis’s desire to move to Brugge in the days after the season finished, and the Belgian side appear ready to offer HSV five million euros for him. Hamburg have made it clear that they want Reis to stay, with Kuntz emphasizing Reis’s importance to the squad on multiple occasions since the end of the season.
What will happen remains to be seen, but unless HSV are able to convince Reis to extend his contract, one would assume that it is likely that he would be sold, as otherwise the Red Shorts would risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.
Selke contract talks appear to stall – Leipzig, or England?
Davie Selke was another one of the key players in HSV’s promotion campaign this past season, leading the 2.Bundesliga with a personal best 23 goals. The 30 year old striker appeared likely to extend his contract, and it appeared that he had triggered an automatic extension clause with the club’s promotion, but that no longer appears to be the case.
Selke, who will become a free agent at the end of June, and HSV had been in negotiations over a contract extension since at least March or April. The sticking points have been reported as being both the length and salary of the contract. HSV wants a two year deal, while Selke wants a third year and more money. The Red Shorts don’t appear willing to budge.
While Selke was excellent in the 2.Bundesliga for Hamburg last season, his history in the Bundesliga is spotty. After a good spell with Hertha Berlin earlier in his career, he struggled at both Werder Bremen and 1.FC Köln before coming to HSV. These struggles aside, it would be a shame for Selke to depart after just one season in Hamburg, a season in which he was a pivotal player in finally bringing the club back to where it belongs.
That being said, striker is a position of considerable depth for Hamburg. Robert Glatzel (who missed most of this past season) was the 2.Bundesliga’s leading scorer in 2023/24, and has been a key player for HSV for several seasons now. The aforementioned Königsdörffer brings a different dynamic as a striker given his pace. Extending Königsdörffer (who scored a career best 14 goals this past season, and was excellent down the stretch for the Red Shorts) has been reported as a high priority for HSV leadership. His pace will likely be particularly important in the Bundesliga, as HSV likely will not be playing with as much possession as in the 2.Bundesliga. At only 23 years old, if it comes to deciding between Selke and Königsdörffer for HSV, the choice should be the latter.
The third option already within the team is 18 year old academy product Otto Stange, who flashed intriguing potential this past season, scoring twice in limited minutes.
Though both sides are still saying they still hope to agree on an extension, it appears that the talks between Selke and HSV have gone cold. In the past week it has been reported by various outlets that Selke was in negotiations with RB Leipzig, for whom he played early in his career, as well as West Ham, Fulham and Leeds from the Premier League.
Richter and Mebude loans end, Karabec future still open:
With the season officially over, HSV have already announced that at least two of their loan players will not be returning. Midfielder Marco Richter will be returning to his parent club and fellow Bundesliga team 1.FSV Mainz 05, and winger Adedire Mebude will be returning to Belgian side KVC Westerlo.
Though Richter had some memorable moments last season, including a wonderful free kick goal against Schalke and the match winning assist to Emir Sahiti against Hertha Berlin, he was also very inconsistent, and once Ludovit Reis was healthy, he played only sparingly.
Mebude, an intriguing 20-year old who had been a bright prospect in the Manchester City academy, was brought in on loan in the winter after Bakery Jatta’s season ending injury. He never really made his mark with HSV only making four appearances, with just one start. He didn’t notch any goal contributions.
Midfielder Adam Karabec, a 21 year old Sparta Prague prospect, is another question. As mentioned above, his loan from Sparta Prague is up at the end of June, and the reported asking price for a permanent transfer is around 4 million euros. Multiple outlets have reported that HSV are not ready to pay that price, but would like to buy him for cheaper if possible.
Polzin has stated publicly multiple times that he hopes that Karabec moves to HSV permanently, as the Czech midfielder was a regular in Polzin’s lineup for much of the Rückrunde.