Leeds United: Goal-shy Hamburg keep tabs on loan striker Lasogga

Jens Todt, Hamburg’s sporting director, said Lasogga’s prospects at Hamburg were likely to improve next summer if a year at Elland Road gave the 25-year-old “fresh self-confidence”.

Lasogga moved to Elland Road on a season-long loan in August after being told that he would not feature in the plans of Hamburg head coach Markus Gisdol.

As many as four strikers are in front of Lasogga at the Volksparkstadion and Hamburg’s insistence on moving Lasogga on saw them agree to subsidise around 75 per cent of his salary as part of their deal with Leeds.

Lasogga is Hamburg’s second-highest earner on a weekly wage of around £50,000 but Leeds will pay £15,000 a week during the course of his loan. The forward made an immediate impression at Elland Road by scoring twice on his debut and has claimed three goals in six appearances to date.

He has a year left on his contract at Hamburg but appeared to have no future there following Gisdol’s decision to sideline him.

The loan deal agreed between Hamburg and Leeds, however, did not include an option giving United the right to sign him at the end of this season.

Todt told the Hamburger Morgenpost: “If Pierre plays a good season he could also play a role (at Hamburg) with a lot of fresh self-confidence.”

Lasogga last started a league game for Hamburg against Borussia Dortmund last November.

He admitted after his arrival at Leeds that a transfer had been necessary, saying: “I didn’t play so often for Hamburg and that’s why I decided to come to Leeds, to play football again. Then we can look at what happens in the future.”

Hamburg have scored just four times in seven games this season and are third from bottom in the Bundesliga.