Wednesday, 26th June, 2013
Hamburg sporting director Oliver Kreuzer has virtually raised his hands on the outcome of the club’s attempt to sign free agent Roque Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz, 31, certainly grabbed headlines during his loan spell at La Liga side Malaga during the 2012/13 campaign, where he notched in a total 12 goals and three assists for Los Boquerones, in turn helping the club reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The Paraguayan, however, will be left without a club come the end of the month, as that will be the day when his loan deal with Malaga as well as his contract with parent club Manchester City both end.
Despite facing an uncertain future in terms of his career, the 31-year-old striker has maintained he has no plans to renew his deal with the Etihad Stadium outfit. On the other hand, there is certainly no news of Malaga’s interest in making Santa Cruz’s La Rosaleda stay permanent, especially with their financial burdens at the moment.
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Santa Cruz was tipped to be ready to join Brazilian side Botafogo some months ago until Hamburg decided to test their luck in bringing the striker to the Imtech Arena, upon recommendation of one of their star players, Rafael van der Vaart.
With Die Rothosen having already offered Santa Cruz a deal, Kreuzer believes that the ball is no longer in his hands.
"We have tried our best to convince Santa Cruz to join us and have already offered him what we can. It’s now up to him to decide what to do", the Hamburg sporting director told German daily Bild.
Santa Cruz’s career spans a total 16 years and counting, with him having spells with the likes of Bayern Munich, Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City.
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