Sport Bild reports that Hamburg are considering several German administrative heavyweights as a potential successor to club board-member-for-sport Stefan Kuntz. Just four days ago, the Bundesliga outfit was rocked by the news that chief Hamburger SV personnel executive Stefan Kuntz would be stepping down for personal reasons. Former DFB boss Oliver Bierhoff, current Stuttgart boss Fabian Wohlgemuth, and Kuntz’s predecessor Jonas Boldt are apparently all being taken into consideration for a front office role. 

Bierhoff nearly joined Hamburg in 2024

Bierhoff has not held a footballing administrative position since resigning as German national team managing director following the 2022 World Cup group stage exit. The 57-year-old – who has never actually worked outside the German FA since joining the DFB as a team manager in 2004 – was heavily linked with Hamburg following Boldt’s dismissal in May of 2024.

Bierhoff might have signed with HSV were it not for the fact that Kuntz – a highly respected German coach and functionary – expressed interest in the job himself. Hamburg went with Kuntz, famous for rescuing his former club 1. FC Kaiserslautern from a 2008 descent into the third division, instead. Kuntz opted to return to front office work after years spent coaching the Germany U21 and Turkish national team. 

Bierhoff is a former HSV professional who spent two seasons playing for the Hanseaten between 1988 and 1989. This stint came long before Bierhoff’s career ultimately took off in Italy and he earned his first German national team cap in 1996. Bierhoff spent years building up his career in the Serie B before becoming a Germany international (and Euro 1996 hero) at the age of 28.

Boldt and Wohlgemuth appear to be long shots

It’s doubtful that HSV would like to re-instate Boldt as the 43-year-old’s name is synonymous with the repeated failure of the club to achieve promotion back to the top flight. Wohlgemuth also has no real reason to consider leaving Stuttgart, where he himself was promoted to board-member-for-sport in the summer of 2024. Wohlgemuth’s current VfB contract runs until 2027.

Wohlgemuth was very loosely linked with Wolfsburg’s vacant sporting director position some months back due to the fact that he spent seven years managing the VfL academy. Similarly, Wohlgemuth once worked as a scout and youth coach at Hamburg. It still remains unlikely that his ties to his former club amount to much unless Hamburg wish to offer him Kuntz’s position and a hefty pay raise. 

Anything else would amount to a demotion. 

What will Hamburg ultimately do?

Get German Football News considers it mot likely that no outside figures will be brought in for now. Club sporting director Claus Costa and HSV CFO Dr. Eric Huwer are currently managing the January 2026 transfer window rather well. Costa and Huwer have managed the sale of midfielder Jonas Meffert to Kiel, recouped a loan fee from Bayern in the matter of keeper Daniel Peretz, and are about to sign Southampton striker Damion Downs.

The soon-to-be-confirmed Downs loan constitutes an excellent coup for Costa and Huwer. Negotiations with Southampton began under Kuntz’s watch. The HSV front office duo did extremely well to fend off interest from Hanseatic rivals Werder Bremen and ultimately outpace their fellow northerners to win Downs’ signature.

After helping Kuntz engineer the promotion back to the German top flight, Costa may be promoted to HSV board-member-for-sport while the club takes its time finding a new sporting director. The only potential drawback, insofar as the club is concerned, may be the fact that Costa is only 41-years-of age and never had an executive appointment prior to obtaining his current HSV job in March 2023. 

Costa still possesses far more experience than current head coach Merlin Polzin did when he was handed the HSV appointment in December 2024. Polzin had just turned 34 at the time and had no experience leading a senior men’s team beyond his one HSV match as a caretaker coach. The “new HSV” may wish to continue the path of internal promotions.