Hamburger SV looking at Chelsea talent

This summer German Bundesliga side Hamburger SV is looking at young talent coming out of FC Chelsea London. The reason is simple then the new HSV Director of Sports is Frank Arnesen, who until recently was the chief scout and Technical Director at the English Premier League club. And Arnesen knows that big spending Chelsea have young talent which isn't good enough for the Blues but would surely strengthen a new, rebuilding Hamburg.

Arnesen was in England over the weekend to speak to his former club, players of interest and their agents to convince them to move to the North German club. Hamburg are in the process of rebuilding their team for the new season as costly players like Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ze Roberto and Frank Rost are being off-loaded as the club has to reduce their wage bill.

The first signing was officially announced yesterday in England Under-21 international Michael Mancienne, who has penned a four year contract with HSV. Chelsea are getting a transfer fee of around 2 Million Euros for the defender and defensive midfielder, but 23 year old Mancienne has played most of the last three years on loan at EPL rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Frank Arnesen said on the signing, "I knew Michael from my time at Chelsea, I have followed his progress over the years and I know he has great potential."

Mancienne said, "Hamburg is a huge club with a fantastic tradition and supporters. It's a big challenge to be able to play for them."

And Mancienne could only be the first of a few Chelsea starlets who could join Hamburg over the summer. The next on the list is 19 year old Dutch defender Jeffrey Bruma, but he is currently away with the Netherlands on an international tour to South America and is said to be undecided on the next step in his career.

Hamburg might also try and work out a deal with Chelsea where young talent is loaned to the German club as they are said to be interested in English teenager Joshua McEachran, French midfielder Gaël Kakuta and Italian Fabio Borini.

Chelsea's Arnesen to join Hamburger SV

German Bundesliga side Hamburger SV has finally found a new Director of Sports in Dane Frank Arnesen, who will join them from English Premier League giants FC Chelsea in the new season. This ends the never ending HSV story of finding a replacement to Dietmar Beiersdorfer who left the club to join Austria's Red Bulls Salzburg two summers ago.

Since then the search has been a major failure and somewhat of an embarrassment for one of the biggest clubs in Germany. First after playing a season without a Director of Sports it had been finalised that after the 2010 FIFA World Cup Germany's head scout and analyst Urs Siegenthaler would join, but then he remained with the German FA (DFB). So the club appointed former player Bastian Reinhardt as their new Director of Sports, but the rookie hasn't been able to convince the club management and fans that he is ready for the tough assignment. Then this winter it was somewhat final that Germany's Director of Sports Matthias Sammer would join the North German club, once more the deal fell through at the last moment.

Now the club has been able to make the big signing it was looking for in 54 year old Arnesen, who has signed a three year contract. And he will bring Chelsea's chief scout Lee Congerton with him to become Hamburg's new technical director. Bastian Reinhardt will remain at the club and work under Arnesen as part of a expanded management team.

"I am delighted that we have found this fantastic solution," commented Hamburg's chairman Ernst-Otto Rieckhoff. "Frank Arnesen has not only the aptitude that is very meaningful to us for our future thanks to his experience as a manager at top clubs in Europe, but in particular due to his focus on youth development."

Arnesen experience is something which Hamburg will want to build on. His off the field career started in 1991 as assistant coach to Bobby Robson at PSV Eindhoven before he went on to become PSV's sporting director in 1994. Arnesen remained at the club for 10 years before he left for England. In 2004 he joined as Tottenham Hotspurs as Director of Sports before he switched to London rivals FC Chelsea a year later. Now he leaves southwest London after he had not extended his contract beyond the summer.

"HSV is a special club with a great tradition and fantastic conditions to work in. I am convinced that we will develop something huge with the energy we have got and with the right decisions," Arnesen said after the contract was signed.