Having helped Hamburger SV come through a relegation playoff against Karlsruher SC in early June, Lewis Holtby will be hoping the 2015-16 league campaign is more successful than his debut season at the Bundesliga stalwarts, where he spent the season on loan.
Life in Germany
Having started his professional career at Alemannia Aachen, making his debut in the 2007-08 season, Holtby moved to German giants Schalke 04 in 2009 following 33 first team appearances for Aachen.
Holtby spent the 2010-11 season out on loan at Vfl Bochum and 1.FSV Mainz 05 as he began to develop as one of the hottest prospects in Germany.
Playing 30 games for Mainz, and scoring four goals alongside André Schürrle and Adam Szalai, Schalke gave Holtby his first run in their starting eleven in 2011. Scoring 10 goals in 55 appearances for Schalke, including regular appearances in the UEFA Champions League, it was announced Holtby would not be renewing his contract with Gelsenkirchen side at the end of 2013.
Holtby arrives at White Hart Lane
The prospect of signing a German international prospect for free was an appealing proposition for Tottenham Hotspur, who announced in late January 2013 that Holtby would be moving to North London once his contract expired.
However, just days later Tottenham confirmed the immediate signing of Holtby for a fee thought to have been worth around £1.5 million. Making his debut on the 30th January 2013 away at Norwich City, Holtby failed to make one of the midfield positions his own at White Hart Lane.
Almost a year to the day Holtby arrived in England, Fulham announced the loan signing of the three capped German international for the remainder of the 2013-14 season. Holtby could not prevent the Cottagers relegation from the Premier League, however, contributing just one goal in 13 games.
Once again Holtby found consistency difficult to come by at Hamburg last season, playing just 14 times as he suffered from injury. But HSV decided to exercise a clause in his loan contract to sign Holtby on a permanent contract, for a fee thought to have been worth around £6 million.
Holtby, who had become a fan favourite at Tottenham, returns to Germany hoping to resurrect his career and build on his caps for the German senior national side.
The departure of Holtby comes just days after Paulinho completed his transfer to Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, as Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino looks to overhaul his squad ahead of a potential Champions League push in the forthcoming season.