Hamburg signs Emir Spahic
July 5, 2015
Hamburg has completed the signing of Bosnian defender Emir Spahic on a one-year contract.
The former Bayer Leverkusen central defender was sacked last April following a brawl with stewards after a German Cup defeat to Bayern Munich.
Spahic was given a three-month suspension by the German FA (DFB) for his behavior but will join up with Hamburg's first-team on Monday.
Despite his misdemeanors, Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia feels the defender "deserves a second chance" after his contract was terminated by Leverkusen.
"I had a very long and thorough talk with Emir," Labbabia said in an interview with the club website. "All issues were discussed. I thought it over for a very long because I also had concerns what a signing of Emir would lead to internally and externally. I had huge concerns although I always knew he would strengthen the team immensely."
The Hamburg coach went on to describe the Bosnian international as 'one of the best central defenders in the Bundesliga. ' Labbadia also predicted that spahic would become a team leader following the departure of Heiko Westermann.
The club also completed the signing of Batuhan Altintas from Turkish club Bursaspor and is on the verge of completing a deal for Stuttgart's Gotoku Sakai.
The Japanese defender travelled to Zurich to meet with club officials and join team training, despite having still to sign a contract with the Northern German side.