Former Arsenal of England youth team player, Xavier Amaechi is set to line out for his first ever competitive match since joining SV Hamburg of Germany last July, as he goes for his new club’s first outing in the second round of matches in the German 2. Bundesliga.
Although Amaechi was not used by Hamburg in a 1-1 draw they played with SV Darmstadt 88 in their season opener the previous weekend, the Arsenal Academy product is in line to make his professional debut for his new club when they tackle Nürnberg on Monday evening.
Megasportsarena.com reports that the highly-rated winger has been included in the 20-man list announced by manager Dieter Hecking this morning and will travel with the players to Franconia, with Amaechi among ten midfielders selected for the trip.
The 18-year-old departed Arsenal last month in search of regular first-team opportunities and the fact that he has been named on the roster a week after joining Hamburg shows he is highly regarded by the coach.
Before setting himself up for his SVH debut, Amaechi showed that he didn’t want to lose any time in signing for The Rothosen, as his flight to Hamburg was cancelled on Thursday evening due to stormy weather.
With little prospect of flying on Friday either, the 18-year-old signing from Arsenal decided on the spot with his parents to make the journey from the English capital in the car.
Things were wrapped up quickly, as both the medical and the signing of the contract took place at the weekend, so that the winger didn’t waste any more time and could get straight into action on Monday morning.
Amaechi was able to watch his new colleagues for the first time on the afternoon of the previous Sunday, as he was at Volksparkstadion for the curtain raiser of the 2019/20 season, the visit of Darmstadt.
Amaechi developed a knack for scoring and providing assists during his time with Arsenal youth teams; he had a hand in 12 goals (4 goals, 8 assists) in 22 Premier League 2 matches, such that he took delight from seeing Hamburg’s Aaron Hunt coolly slotted away the 98th-minute equaliser, the Englishman was certain he had made the right decision.
The youngster, who drove all the way from London with his mum and dad after his flight was cancelled, had been close up with Hamburg’s squad before the Darmstadt game, which was not his first visit to the Volksparkstadion, having previously been in attendance for the match-up against MSV Duisburg right at the end of last season.
Although at that point an unknown quantity, able to make an impression for himself of the club without outside interference, but conditions at the club more than met the expectations of the England under-19 team player, having spent most of his youth career at Arsenal’s academy base.
However, Amaechi went on to declare that being left in the doldrums at Emirates Stadium was not the main reason for his decision to make a tell tale switch from the English Premier League to 2. Bundesliga, for which the persistence of Michael Mutzel left a longer-lasting impression than any of the facilities at Volkspark in sealing the winger’s signature.
Amaechi, a 1.79m tall left-footed winger, recalled: “For me it was clear from the beginning that I wanted to join HSV. It was a long trip, about twelve hours, but I’m very happy to be here now.
“We took the ferry to France and from there the motorway through Holland and Belgium to Hamburg.
“Michael Mutzel was very convincing during our talks and showed me that I had a good chance to get some games under my belt.
“That’s important for me. I’ve got to grab this chance. The club also has a great history and a fantastic set-up with the city and the fans
“It was unbelievable; the fans, the atmosphere. It’s what you dream about as a kid, playing in front of those fans.”
