Sebastiaan Bornauw reveals how hard he pushed to secure Leeds United exit

Sebastiaan Bornauw has revealed he “fought hard” to leave Leeds United and complete a loan move to Hamburg during the summer transfer window.

The Belgian centre-back struggled to establish himself under Daniel Farke following his arrival from Wolfsburg. He had to wait until December for his Premier League debut and eventually accumulated just 423 minutes across 12 league appearances last season.

A return to the Bundesliga therefore appealed immediately when Hamburg presented him with an opportunity to play regularly in Germany again.

Speaking during a Hamburg supporters’ event at the Volksparkstadion, with his comments reported by Bild, Bornauw made clear how strongly he wanted the transfer.

“I fought hard at Leeds United to come to Hamburg,” Bornauw said. “I really wanted to play for HSV. There’s an abundance of tradition here, and I like that.”

The 27-year-old already knew German football well before joining Leeds.

After developing at Anderlecht, Bornauw moved to Köln in 2019 before spending four seasons with Wolfsburg. His familiarity with Hamburg itself also helped make the decision straightforward.

“When I played in Wolfsburg, there wasn’t that much to do there,” he added. “And Hamburg wasn’t that far away. So, I know the city quite well, and that makes it easier to settle in here.”

Bornauw quickly received the opportunities he had been searching for after completing his season-long loan.

He made his Hamburg debut in the DFB-Pokal victory over SC Verl before starting their opening two Bundesliga fixtures.

A muscular problem has since interrupted that progress and forced the Leeds-owned defender to miss Hamburg’s last two matches.

The international break provides useful recovery time, with Bornauw expected to be available when Hamburg face Hoffenheim on October 10.

His long-term future remains tied to Leeds for now, but Bornauw’s comments demonstrate why a temporary departure made sense. After spending much of last season on the fringes at Elland Road, returning to Germany offered him the opportunity for the regular football he had been missing.

Bornauw will use the international break to complete his recovery from the muscular issue that has interrupted his first weeks at Hamburg.

A return against Hoffenheim would allow him to resume his push for regular Bundesliga football and continue demonstrating why he was so determined to leave Leeds temporarily.