Bruno Labbadia on the verge of becoming head coach of Hamburg for the third time

Sky Germany reports that Bruno Labbadia is on the verge of becoming head coach of Hamburg, replacing Steffen Baumgart at the club. 

Labbadia has been out of a job since being sacked by VfB Stuttgart in April 2023 and was on the verge of becoming Nigeria’s head coach before his move fell through. 

Negotiations over Labbadia returning to Hamburg are ongoing as details still need to be clarified. Labbadia is said to be highly motivated to return to the Volksparkstadion and sees great potential in the HSV squad. 

The Darmstadt native last managed in Hamburg in 2016  where he averaged 1.20 points per game, while his tenure before that was between 2009-10 where he averaged 1.63 ppg. 

A good move?

Following the sacking of Baumgart, the decision to move to Labbadia seems a sideways or even backwards step for Hamburg. The former striker has not been a good manager for several years now which can be seen with what he did with the Stuttgart squad, compared to what his replacement Sebastian Hoeneß did. IF Hamburg even mounts a promotion fight, it will be down to the quality of the players, not Labbadia’s management skills. 

Hamburg was also linked with Urs Fischer and Raphaël Wicky who would have more than likely been better hires than Labbadia, but the relationship between sporting director Stefan Kuntz and Labbadia prevailed. 

There is a world (and it is probably likely) that Hamburg end the season with Labbadia, not as their head coach. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan