Overview
- Steffen Baumgart told Sport Bild he admires Merlin Polzin’s club roots and said Polzin has a clear idea of how he wants HSV to play.
- Baumgart called his November 2024 dismissal from HSV the “right decision” and praised his working relationships with Jonas Boldt, Stefan Kuntz and finance director Eric Huwer.
- Polzin, promoted from assistant in May 2025, led HSV back to the Bundesliga after seven years in the second tier and kept the club in the top flight the following season.
- After a difficult start to the current campaign, Polzin has steadied results with three consecutive wins, while Baumgart—sacked by Union Berlin in April 2026—remains without a club and says he is open to jobs at home or abroad.
- Coaches and observers credit HSV’s compact leadership—decisions handled by only a few executives—for creating the stability that allowed Polzin’s tactical plan and the club’s recent turnaround to take hold.