Season

“As soon as the opportunity arose I definitely wanted to come”

During a press conference on Thursday (9th August) HSV’s new signing Orel Mangala spoke about the reasons behind his move, his preferred playing style and his aims for next season.

Orel Mangala is the sixth newcomer in Head Coach Christian Titz’s team. The 20-year-old loanee from VfB Stuttgart signed his new contract with HSV yesterday afternoon and in the evening took part in his first training session with his new team. With his strong ball-winning ability and ruggedness the defensive midfielder showed signs that he’ll be able to offer a greater stability to Hamburg’s game. This Thursday the Belgian with 49 youth international caps was presented during a press conference. He said that he feels at home in Hamburg even after just one day. Orel Mangala spoke in detail about…

…why he moved to Hamburg: HSV is a big club with a lot of history. As soon as the opportunity arose to move here I knew I definitely wanted to come. For me it’s really important that I get as much game time as possible. I know that I can work hard here and learn a lot. I want to play my part and use my abilities to help my team reach its goals.

…his move into the second league: The second league is not a step back for me. I’m still young and for a young player it’s important to gain experience. The quality is high in the German second league. It’s not going to be an easy season for us but week on week we will develop. I’m excited about the task ahead.

…memories of the Volksparkstadion: I was subbed on for Stuttgart in Hamburg during the first half of last season. However, those aren’t happy memories. It was a tough game where one of my team got a red card and we ended up losing. Now I want to know what it feels like to win in this stadium, this time with HSV.

…new teammates: I already know Rick van Drongelen a bit since I played several times against him with the youth national team. The other lads gave me a friendly welcome and I’m happy to be here. Now I’m going to try and integrate myself both on and off the field. I think we’re going to have a good time together.

…his robust playing style: At Anderlecht I had the playmaker’s role. But when I came to Germany and moved to Dortmund Hannes Wolf put me in a more defensive midfield position and it worked well. For me he was a great coach. At Dortmund my defensive game was even more robust. All I can say is that I give 100% in every game and try to be as sportsmanlike as possible. But in the second league ruggedness is going to be important.

…his aims for the new season: We’ve got a good team with quality and a great coaching staff. Everyone is engaged and motivated. We want to improve bit by bit. We lost the first game but are going stay focused, keep working, prepare well and concentrate on the tasks ahead. It’s the only way to success.