Hamburg sign Streit, Gravgaard in late shopping spree

SV HamburgHamburg - SV Hamburg Monday welcomed Schalke midfielder Albert Streit and Danish defender Michael Gravgaard among a flurry of new signings confirmed by the club on the last day of the transfer window.

Gravgaard, 30, arrives on loan until the end of the season from French side Nantes where he had struggled to claim a place since him move last summer from FC Copenhagen.

Streit, 28, also arrives initially on a loan deal from Schalke where he had been suspended by coach Fred Rutten after complaining of a lack of first-team opportunities.

The Bundesliga club have also acquired Dutch-born Moroccan goalkeeper Khalid Sinouh, who was without a club, Venezualan midfielder Tomas Rincon and French midfielder Mickael Tavarez.

Sinouh, 33, played under Hamburg coach Martin Jol at Dutch side RKC Waalwijk, Rincon, 21, joins on loan from Venezuala's Deportivo Tachira while defensive midfielder Tavarez, 26, is a 1.5-million-euro (1.9 million dollars) signing from Slavia Prague.

Midfielder Marcel Ndjeng, 26, had already been confirmed last week as a loan signing from Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Hamburg needed a replacement in central defence for Bastian Reinhardt who fractured a foot in Friday's 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich and will be sidelined for at least three months.

The club has also looked to strengthen the midfield after the departure last month of Dutch international Nigel de Jong to Manchester City.

The club has meanwhile sold Brazilian midfielder Thiago Neves for a reported 7 million euros to Saudi club Al-Hilal who have in turn released him on loan to his former club Fluminense.

Thiago Neves, 23, cost a reported 7.5 million euros from Fluminense last summer but the playmaker failed to establish himself in the Hamburg side. (dpa)

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