During the summer transfer window, Southampton and West Ham were linked with Nicolai Muller. The Premier League clubs were both interested in signing the attacking player from Hamburg, but it was reported in Germany that HSV weren’t too keen.
With Muller then having a year left on his contract, Hamburg wanted to hold on and try and get a renewal before June 2018. There was a chance for Southampton and West Ham, but it was stated they’d have to part with €8-10m to persuade the Bundesliga side.
Those claims came in July, and in August came one of the most ‘Hamburg’ incidents ever. The club often seem to be under some kind of curse, although their bad fortune is usually of their own doing, and Muller was injured in his first outing of the season.
Celebrating, the 30 year old ran towards the corner flag, throwing in several pirouettes. Unfortunately, one of them did for his cruciate and he’s been out since, with no quick return in sight.
Hamburg are in financial difficulty and the club’s ‘supervisory board’ have blocked an extension because they’re concerned about the player’s status, report Bild. It may not be the wisest of decisions, given Muller’s consistent goals and assists record, and there’s every possibility it’ll come back to slap HSV around the face.
For Southampton and West Ham it means they can initiate talks from January on a pre contract agreement with Muller, should they still be interested. There may even be time to see how Muller comes back from his injury and then make a decision.
