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Holtmann's moving return: Lieberknecht wants to bring him to Darmstadt!
Gerrit Holtmann talks about his time at Eintracht Braunschweig and his formative experiences with coach Lieberknecht.
Holtmann's moving return: Lieberknecht wants to bring him to Darmstadt!
Football is often all about opportunities and decisions. One of these decisions is particularly special for Gerrit Holtmann. The 30-year-old winger, who most recently played in the Turkish Süper Lig, may be on the verge of a move back to the Bundesliga, more specifically to SV Darmstadt 98. They are hoping to bring Holtmann back after a disappointing spell in Turkey, and that could mean another step in his career. As the North24 reports, Darmstadt, currently bottom of the table, urgently wants to sign Holtmann.
Holtmann looks back on an eventful career. He started his professional career in 2014 at Eintracht Braunschweig, where he came into the limelight under coach Torsten Lieberknecht. Lieberknecht quickly recognized the offensive player's potential and gave him the chance to prove himself in the first team. “Torsten was one of the coaches who particularly influenced me,” Holtmann remembers in the “Kicken und Kohl” podcast T Online notes. Not only did they have a close connection on the pitch, there were also significant moments outside of it, such as when Lieberknecht once gave him money when he surprised him while eating a kebab.
Football career and successes
Holtmann, born on March 25, 1995 in Bremerhaven, has made a name for himself since moving to Eintracht. After his first year in the Regionalliga, he moved to Mainz 05 in 2016, where he scored his first Bundesliga goal in 2017. After stints at SC Paderborn and VfL Bochum, where he was awarded the most beautiful goal of the year in 2021, engagements in Turkey followed and now a return to Germany. During his time at Bochum, his path took him back to his German roots via the senior national team of the Philippines, where he also worked.
The return to the Bundesliga could be a significant opportunity for Holtmann to prove himself again - perhaps even under his former mentor Lieberknecht. The coach, who is now in charge in Darmstadt, sees Holtmann as a reinforcement for his team, which urgently needs points at the moment. Holtmann himself is interested in the German league again after an unfortunate stay in Turkey, and the past connection with Lieberknecht could be crucial here.
Looking ahead
What next for Holtmann? A little excitement couldn't do him any harm. On the eighth matchday he and VfL Bochum will face 1. FC Kaiserslautern, where Lieberknecht now holds the reins. Holtmann can show what he can do in this duel after recently scoring the equalizer. Regardless of how this game ends, the encounter will have a very special meaning for him, both sportingly and emotionally. This return to the Bundesliga could be the new beginning he wants. The signs are not bad - and the football year 2025 is just getting going!