Hamburg Consider Free-Agent David Alaba to Bolster Struggling Defence
Hamburg are weighing up a move for free agent David Alaba as Merlin Polzin looks for an immediate solution to a defence hit by a damaging start to the Bundesliga season. The 34-year-old Austria international is eligible to be registered outside the transfer window after leaving Real Madrid at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
Hamburg assess experienced defensive options
Alaba’s potential return to German football would bring one of the game’s most decorated defenders to a side currently bottom of the table. Hamburg have lost their last two league matches without finding the net, suffering 5-0 defeats against both Mainz and RB Leipzig.
- Alaba spent five years at Real Madrid and made 131 appearances for the Spanish club.
- He departed with 11 major trophies, including two Champions League wins and two La Liga titles.
- The former Bayern Munich player can operate at centre-back, left-back and in midfield.
- Hamburg believe his senior experience and leadership could help a squad in urgent need of stability.
There are, however, major obstacles to any agreement. Alaba’s expected salary may be beyond Hamburg’s financial limits, while his recent injury record is also under consideration. Denmark centre-back Jannik Vestergaard has emerged as a more achievable candidate for the club.
Alaba remains available after Madrid exit
Although fitness issues affected Alaba during his final seasons in Spain, he has continued individual on-field work in an effort to preserve his conditioning and technical sharpness. His status as an unattached player means Hamburg could complete a registration despite the closure of the regular transfer market.
Interest is not confined to the Bundesliga. Lazio have tracked the defender’s circumstances, while Club America are also in contention for his signature.
Cologne match offers Hamburg an immediate test
Polzin’s team welcome FC Köln on Saturday, September 19, in the fourth round of Bundesliga fixtures. It is Hamburg’s last league match before the international break and an opportunity to halt a run that has left their defence exposed and their attack scoreless.
- Hamburg face FC Köln at the Volksparkstadion on September 19.
- The Bundesliga then pauses for the international break.
- Hamburg resume their campaign away to Hoffenheim on October 10.
With a difficult sequence of matches approaching, Hamburg must decide whether Alaba’s pedigree outweighs the financial and fitness risks attached to a deal.
