Hamburg sign striker Patson Daka
Hamburg have secured the services of Zambia international Patson Daka on a free transfer, adding some much-needed firepower ahead of the forthcoming Bundesliga campaign.
The free-scoring forward, who completed his medical at the Volksparkstadion on Tuesday before joining the squad at their training camp in Austria, had been without a club since he was released by Leicester City in May following the club’s relegation to the English third tier.
“Patson's signing strengthens us at centre-forward and is a good fit for the profile we were looking for. He's a team player and has lots of international experience. We firmly believe Patson will help our team with his qualities,” said HSV board member for sport Kathleen Krüger.
An experienced international (57 caps, 22 goals), the 27-year-old rose to prominence at Austrian heavyweights Red Bull Salzburg, notably finding the net 27 times during the 2020/21 season to finish as the league’s top goalscorer and scoop the Player of the Year award.
HSV fans will be hoping that Daka can replicate that sort of form within a team that had the third-lowest goals output in the Bundesliga last term, especially now that their three top scorers from 2025/26 – midfielder Fábio Vieira, defender Luka Vušković and winger Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer – have all departed the club.
“I’m delighted to be here and can hardly wait to get going. I'm a passionate and energetic player whose job is to score goals," said the Zambian forward. "I've seen a few HSV games. They're an exciting team and I'm happy to be a part of that now. The whole package made sense for me, meaning I didn't have to think long."
Merlin Polzin's team kick off the new season in the DFB Cup first round away at Verl on 24 August, before beginning the Bundesliga campaign away at Borussia Dortmund on 29 August.
