Southampton striker Damien Downes needs to ‘significantly improve’ his performances if he is to make a permanent signing for HSV Hamburg in the summer.
This is according to MOPOJoe says Downes has a lot of work to do to impress his current loan club. He has not yet had any positive impact in Germany.
The 21-year-old joined HSV at the start of the January transfer window. He joined Southampton on a €8m deal last summer but failed to make an impact with the Saints.
By December, Sport Witness were covering various reports regarding his desire to leave. Eventually he ended up at HSV, who were described as desperate When they made the deal. That deal includes a €10m option to buy.
Reluctant to pay €10m
And according to MOPO, they are reluctant to pay that fee, or any fee, at this time. The newspaper reports that Downes’ first four appearances have been ‘disappointing’ for him.
There is an admission that Downs is low on confidence after a tough six months in England with Southampton. But the reality is that they expected more than this. They weren’t even the ones who negotiated the €10m clause.
This came from the owners of Southampton, led by Johannes Spurs. They wanted to keep themselves safe in case a 21-year-old girl made a splash in Hamburg. His aim was to earn good profits in future.
Talks planned with Southampton
The positive news on that front is that HSV is not just focused on goals. They will also accept help. Those in charge do not entirely share the current fan criticism of the Southampton loanee. They certainly don’t want to take any hasty decisions on that.
There are plans to hold ‘comprehensive’ talks with Southampton over Downs. They want to sit down and decide on a fee that they consider acceptable. It appears he doesn’t think €10 million is a fair price at this point.
Of course, this is likely to change in the coming months. But it looks like Downs will have to make more of an impact if that is to happen.
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