Lewis Holtby

Lewis Holtby

Holtby with Schalke 04 in 2011
Personal information
Full name Lewis Harry Holtby[1]
Date of birth (1990-09-18) 18 September 1990
Place of birth Erkelenz, West Germany
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
Hamburger SV
Number 8
Youth career
1994–2001 Sparta Gerderath
2001–2004 Borussia Mönchengladbach
2004–2007 Alemannia Aachen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2009 Alemannia Aachen 33 (8)
2009–2013 Schalke 04 55 (10)
2010VfL Bochum (loan) 14 (2)
2010–2011Mainz 05 (loan) 30 (4)
2013–2015 Tottenham Hotspur 25 (1)
2014Fulham (loan) 13 (1)
2014–2015Hamburger SV (loan) 20 (0)
2015– Hamburger SV 29 (3)
National team
2008 Germany U18 2 (0)
2008–2009 Germany U19 12 (4)
2009–2010 Germany U20 6 (2)
2009–2013 Germany U21 24 (14)
2010– Germany 3 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:31, 9 April 2016 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 June 2013

Lewis Harry Holtby (born 18 September 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Hamburger SV. Holtby represented Germany at various youth levels and was awarded the Gold Fritz Walter Medal in 2009. He made his debut for the senior national side in 2010.

Club career

Early career

Holtby began his career at the age of four with Sparta Gerderath. When he was eleven years old he moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach.[3] Mönchengladbach eventually released the player for what they saw as having physical deficiencies, which included being too small and too slow.[4]

Holtby playing for Schalke 04 in 2011

Aachen

Holtby was promoted to the Alemannia Aachen first team squad by caretaker manager Jörg Schmadtke. He made his first appearance in the 2007–08 season when he was substituted on in the 80th minute for Mirko Casper in a 2–2 draw against FC St. Pauli.[5] For the rest of the season he only made one more appearance, a 1–3 loss on the last match day to TuS Koblenz.[6]

Schalke 04

Holtby left Alemannia Aachen after five years and signed a four-year contract with Schalke 04 until 30 June 2013. In January 2010 he was loaned out to VfL Bochum to get more playing experience.[7]

In May 2010, Holtby returned to Schalke 04 and at the end of the month he was loaned out to FSV Mainz 05 for the 2010–11 season.[8]

In March 2011, Horst Heldt announced that Holtby would return to the club at the end of June.[9] In August Holtby scored his first goal for Schalke in a 5–1 win over 1. FC Köln.[10] Schalke announced that Holtby would not extend his contract which would expire at the end of the 2012–13 season.[11] In the January 2013 transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur announced that Holtby would be joining the English Premier League club in July 2013.[12] In Holtby's first game following the announcement on 18 January, he scored the winning goal for Schalke in a 5–4 defeat of Hannover 96.[13]

Tottenham Hotspur

On 28 January 2013, Holtby signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.[14][15] Despite having previously signed a deal to join the North London outfit during the summer, which would have thus allowed him to play out the end of his contract in Germany, Spurs opted to sign him immediately, with the transfer fee believed to be in the area of €1.75 million.[16][17]

Holtby made his Spurs debut on 30 January, coming off the bench in the 71st minute to replace Clint Dempsey in a 1–1 draw with Norwich City away at Carrow Road.[18] He made his home debut on 9 February in a 2–1 success against Newcastle United.[19]

On 29 August 2013, Holtby scored his first Tottenham goal, "smashed in" from 25 yards (23 m), to complete a 3–0 win over Dinamo Tbilisi in the Europa League play-off round.[20] He scored his first Premier League goal for the club on 4 December in a 2–1 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage.[21]

Holtby ended his Spurs spell with 41 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals.[22]

Loan to Fulham

Holtby joined Fulham on loan until the end of the 2013–14 season on 31 January 2014.[23] Upon joining Fulham, Holtby told Fulham.com that he was motivated to help Fulham to survive relegation and make his way to the World Cup squad.[24][25]

He made his debut the following day, in a 3–0 defeat at home to Southampton.[26] Two weeks after signing for Fulham, Holtby was joined by his former Schalke coach Felix Magath, who became the club's new manager.[27] Holtby stated the arrival of Magath would not affect him at Fulham and was shocked on his sudden appointment.[28]

On 8 March, Holtby scored his first goal for the Cottagers in a 3–1 loss at Cardiff City.[29] Two days before the match, Magath questioned his spirit, claiming "He [Holtby] is not a fighter".[30]

Hamburger SV

After struggling to make an impact at White Hart Lane, Holtby joined Hamburg initially on loan in September 2014.[31][32] In his debut season he went on to make 22 Bundesliga appearances for the club.[22] Holtby helped Hamburg narrowly avoid relegation, as he started in both legs in a dramatic playoff victory over Karlsruher.[33]

On July 1, 2015 it was confirmed that Hamburg had exercised their option to make Holtby's loan move a permanent one, for a reported fee of £4.6 million.[22][34][35]

International career

Holtby was a member of the German under-19 team — he made his debut for the U19s in September 2008 and has been capped 12 times overall. He scored his first international goal for the German U19 team on 11 October 2008 against Lithuania in a 5–0 victory.[36] Sky Sports wrote an article entitled "One that got away?" about a young Holtby, as due to his parentage he was also eligible to play for England.[37]

In September 2009, German youth coach Horst Hrubesch announced that Holtby would play in the U20 World Cup in Egypt.[38] He scored two goals in the tournament, one of which was against Brazil in the quarter-finals.[39]

Personal life

Holtby's father, Chris Holtby, is a former British soldier who was stationed at RAF Rheindahlen in Mönchengladbach.[40] He said, "My father was born in England and has been an Everton fan since the age of five. He immediately infected me with the Everton virus! Since then I have been an Everton fan and have always followed their games."[41] After Liverpool showed interest in him, he went on record saying that he wouldn't say no to Liverpool as his dream is to play in the Premier League. He said, "I wouldn't even rule out Liverpool, even if it would be tough for my dad – he's an Everton fan."[42]

Holtby is known as "Lucky Lewis," or more often just "Lucky" by the German media and the fans.[43] Lewis has a brother called Joshua who was recently released by Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Career statistics

Holtby playing for Fulham in 2014
As of 9 April 2016.
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other[44] Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Alemannia Aachen 2007–08 200020
2008–09 31820338
Total 33820358
Schalke 04 2009–10 9020110
VfL Bochum (loan) 2009–10 14200142
Total 14200142
Mainz 05 (loan) 2010–11 30422326
Total 30422326
Schalke 04 2011–12 2762211110419
2012–13 1942060264
Total 551062171107813
Tottenham Hotspur 2012–13 110000060170
2013–14 131002072223
Fulham (loan) 2013–14 13100131
Total 13100131
Tottenham Hotspur 2014–15 1000002030
Total 2510020152423
Hamburger SV (loan) 2014–15 200002[lower-alpha 1]0220
2015–16 29310303
Total 4931020533
Career total 21929114203233026736
  1. two appearances as the Bundesliga Relegation play-off

Honours

Individual

References

  1. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009 – List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). p. 8. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  2. "Premier League Player Profile Lewis Holtby". Premier League. Barclays Premier League. 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  3. "Holtby, Lewis" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  4. "Lewis Holtby: Aachens Ausnahmetalent träumt vom FC Everton". ZweitLigaMannschaften.de. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  5. "Kuru rettet Punkt in Aachen". kicker.de. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  6. "Holtby, Lewis". kicker.de. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  7. "Holtby-Ausleihe perfekt" (in German). kicker.de. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  8. "Mainz leiht Holtby aus" (in German). kicker.de. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  9. "Nach Schürrle geht auch Holtby" (in German). kicker.de. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  10. "Schalke 04 5–1 FC Cologne". ESPN Soccernet. 13 August 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  11. "Germany international Lewis Holtby will leave Bundesliga side Schalke in the summer". Sky Sports. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  12. "HOLTBY TO JOIN IN JULY". Tottenham Hotspur. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  13. "Schalke 04 5–4 Hannover 96". ESPNFC. 18 January 2013.
  14. "LEWIS MAKES JANUARY MOVE". Tottenham Hotspur. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  15. "Lewis Holtby: Tottenham sign Schalke midfielder". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  16. "HOLTBY TO JOIN IN JULY". Tottenham Hotspur. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  17. "Schalke: Holtby vor dem Abflug" [Schalke: Holtby before departure] (in German). Bild.de. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  18. Monaghan, Matt (30 January 2013). "Norwich 1–1 Tottenham". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  19. Chowdhury, Saj (9 February 2013). "Tottenham 2–1 Newcastle". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  20. Magowan, Alistair (29 August 2013). "Tottenham 3–0 Dinamo Tbilisi". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  21. "Fulham 1–2 Tottenham: Hugo Lloris the hero as Spurs come from behind to win". Daily Mirror. 4 December 2013.
  22. 1 2 3 "Lewis Holtby agrees permanent transfer from Tottenham to Hamburg". ESPN FC. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  23. "Transfer Deadline Day: Fulham sign Spurs' Lewis Holtby on loan". BBC Sport. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  24. "Holtby - It Feels Right". Fulham Official Website. 31 January 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  25. "Premier League: Lewis Holtby chases World Cup dream at Fulham". Sky Sports. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  26. "Fulham 0–3 Southampton" BBC Sport. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  27. "Fulham hire Felix Magath after 'sacking' Rene Meulensteen". BBC. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  28. "Premier League: Fulham's Lewis Holtby denies fallout with Felix Magath". Sky Sports. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  29. "Cardiff City 3–1 Fulham". Fulham Football Club. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  30. "Fulham boss Magath questions Holtby's fighting spirit ahead of relegation run-in". Daily Mail. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  31. Uersfeld, Stephan (1 September 2014). "Lewis Holtby joins Hamburg from Tottenham Hotspur". ESPN FC. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  32. http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/lewis-holtby/hsv-hatihn-schon-gekauft-38090412.bild.html
  33. "Hamburg avoid Bundesliga relegation with play-off win". BBC Sport. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  34. "Holtby move made permanent". Tottenham Hotspur F.C website. 1 July 2015.
  35. "Tottenham Hotspur sell Lewis Holtby to Hamburg for £4.6m". The Guardian. 2 July 2015.
  36. "Holders through with the Netherlands". UEFA.com. 14 October 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  37. "Sky Sports: One that got away". Sky Sports. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  38. "Holtby and Moritz named in U20 World Cup squad". FC Schalke 04. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  39. "Brazil 2:1 Germany". FIFA.com. 10 October 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  40. ""Lucky Lewis" auf Marins Spuren". Express.de. 3 January 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  41. "Lewis Holtby happy with Man Utd, Arsenal interest – but prefers Everton". Tribalfootball.com. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  42. "Holtby open to Liverpool move". ESPN.com. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  43. ""Lucky Lewis" auf Marins Spuren" (in German). express.de. 3 January 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  44. Includes other competitive competitions, including the DFL-Supercup
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