According to Kicker, Hamburg head coach Merlin Polzin has confirmed that he and his coaching staff have reached a preliminary agreement on a new contract, with official signing expected in the coming days. At the same time, he made clear that the club will not sign additional center backs from the free agent market.

The 35-year-old Polzin said: "We have reached a preliminary agreement, that's for sure. The club will make an official announcement in the coming days. The contract hasn't been signed yet, but we're on a very good path, and there's great trust between us."

He also expressed his joy that assistant coach Loïc Favre will remain with the team. Favre had previously attracted attention from Hannover 96. Polzin said: "Of course, I'm also very pleased that Loïc will continue working for Hamburg. He's doing an excellent job and is extremely important to me."

Compared to his own future, Polzin is currently more concerned about the team's poor start to the season. Hamburg lost all three of their opening matches, earning zero points and scoring zero goals while conceding 12. Defensive stability has become the team's most pressing issue.

This Saturday against Cologne, Sebastian Bornauw will still be unavailable due to muscle problems. Polzin said: "He's making progress, but won't be able to return this weekend."

Polzin acknowledged that the team's overall structure has changed somewhat following the arrivals of Zackaria El Ouahdi and David Warhheimer. "There are moments when our positioning is incorrect, and the different parts haven't fully gelled yet."

However, he also stressed that Hamburg's recent two 0-5 defeats shouldn't be lumped together. They previously lost 0-5 at home to Mainz and then 0-5 away to Leipzig. Polzin said: "The analysis results match our initial impression from the sideline—we actually played some very good phases. The match against Mainz was catastrophic, but I won't let anyone say that our performance against Leipzig was completely worthless."

Regarding the current unstable three center-back system, Polzin also clearly ruled out strengthening the center-back position by signing free agents. "No, we won't do that. It's true that we haven't fully clicked yet and lack stability, but we have complete confidence in our current players."

According to plan, Mario Vuskovic will become eligible to play again in the tenth round against Bremen on November 22. Until then, Hamburg will rely on their existing defensive personnel in matches. In this round against Cologne, recently fit Waldemar Anton is expected to have more chances than young player Shafik Nandzoia.

Speaking about Vuskovic, who is about to complete his nearly four-year ban, Polzin didn't predict whether he'll be able to help immediately at a competitive level, but he gave a positive assessment of the player's current condition.

He said: "Of course, Mario still lacks match rhythm, but his physical condition is excellent, and he's making a very strong and impressive impression. His presence and energy in the dressing room are impressive. He has a very strong personality and demands a lot from everything he does."

"He's not a savior, and we also know he hasn't played official matches for a long time, but his presence alone can already bring something to our team."

Переведено ИИ.

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