Bayer Leverkusen's Turkish central attacking midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, 21, has completed his first season post-Hamburg.
If Calhanoglu had kept his word, Hamburg in all probability would have made gains building their team around him, rather than being dragged into a second straight relegation play-off.
Flying Too Close to the Sun
Hamburg's relationship with then-Karlsruher sporting director Oliver Kreuzer did not involve Li Hejun-esque Machiavellianism, but the way events unravelled, it would be naive to say it was coincidence.
Nine months after underselling Calhanoglu to Hamburg for €2.5 million/£2 million, Kreuzer quit Karlsruher.
Introducing Kreuzer to the media, then-Hamburg board member Manfred Ertel claimed his new sporting director had been a candidate since 2009.
"Our dealings with [Kreuzer's] now former club Karlsruher were tough but fair at all times," Ertel said, per Hamburg's website. "[Kreuzer partially financing his move] underlines how much he wanted to join us."
Kreuzer opened doors at Karlsruher for Calhanoglu, who possessed Mehmet Scholl-like talent, which benefited Hamburg.
"I owe [Kreuzer] a lot. As I was playing under-19 football, he made it possible for me to visit the [Karlsruher] first-team training camp," Calhanoglu said, per Hamburg's website. "I know him well, so I am looking forward to seeing him again in Hamburg."
Scoring 17 goals and providing 11 assists in 36 league games during the 2012-13 3. Liga season for Karlsruher, Hamburg knew they received a pearl from Kreuzer.
This was reinforced when the FIFA technical study group highlighted Calhanoglu as a key player at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup: "Energetic attacking midfielder with good dribbling skills and technique."
Replacing Rafael van der Vaart in a cameo against Eintracht Braunschweig symbolised the changing of the guard at Hamburg, with attention now focused on Calhanoglu.
Drifting away from four Eintracht Braunschweig players, Calhanoglu immediately affected the game, registering a cheap goal as his tame shot was palmed into the net by Daniel Davari.
There was nothing cheap about Calhanoglu's free-kick when he blasted the ball past a hapless Davari for a second goal in a 4-0 win.
The footballing world now knows Calhanoglu is as comfortable in free-kick situations as Steph Curry is shooting threes.
Thanks to indirectly assisting Hamburg in a €2.5 million/£2 million transfer steal, it was not a matter of if but to what extent Kreuzer would profit off Calhanoglu, whose resell value was burgeoning towards eight digits.
To further bolster Calhanoglu's reputation, Kreuzer talked up the growing interest in Hamburg's cash cow.
"I indeed believe that Hakan is not against prolonging his [Hamburg] contract," Kreuzer said, per Bild (h/t David Kent at the Daily Mail). "But when Liverpool and Arsenal turn up at your doorstep, [you can understand why] the lad might reconsider."
It was smoke and mirrors.
Calhanoglu agreed to extend his contract until 2018.
"We are delighted that we have managed to tie such a talented player like Hakan to the club long-term," Kreuzer said, per Hamburg's website. "The [early] extension is an indication of our ambitions over [the] coming years."
"I have always said that I feel at home in Hamburg," Calhanoglu said, per Hamburg's website. "I also wanted to send a positive signal during our current situation."
Hamburg's current situation? Staring down the barrel of relegation.
Leading up to Hamburg's Bundesliga relegation play-offs against Greuther Furth, Calhanoglu's agent, Bektas Demirtas, launched a media blitz to pressure Hamburg to sell his client.
Think of Demirtas as the Bundesliga equivalent of Raheem Sterling's agent, Aidy Ward.
"If [Calhanoglu] should change within Germany, then [Bayer] Leverkusen has the best cards," Demirtas said, per the Hamburger Morgenpost (h/t Agence France-Presse via the National). "This is a club that plays European [football], wants him and is willing to pay an appropriate price."
Kicker rates players on a scale of 1.0 to 6.0 with the lower number being the better:
DFB-Pokal: 3.67
Bundesliga: 3.68
Bundesliga Relegation Play-Off: 4.25
When Hamburg needed Calhanoglu the most, he shrivelled—perhaps a reflection on how he had fallen out of love with the club.
Two days after Hamburg overcame Greuther Furth, Calhanoglu "instructed his family" to find a house in Leverkusen, per Daniel Jovanov at Goal.
"I definitely want to leave Hamburg, my outlook for the coming season I can see, crystal clear, being at Bayer Leverkusen," Calhanoglu said, per Bild (h/t Agence France-Presse via the National). "I simply want to go as far as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. I also want to be a superstar, whom everyone is talking about."
Having catapulted the careers of Arturo Vidal, Emerson, Dimitar Berbatov, Lucio, Michael Ballack, Paulo Sergio and Ze Roberto to prominence, Bayer Leverkusen had the cachet Calhanoglu was seeking.
Berating Bayer Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade for allegedly tapping up Calhanoglu, Kreuzer warned of possible legal ramifications.
"Mr. Schade publicly says that they agreed personal terms [with Calhanoglu]. From my understanding of the existing laws, they are not even allowed to negotiate with him," Kreuzer said, per the Hamburger Morgenpost (h/t Stephan Uersfeld at ESPN FC). "We are considering with the German Football League if we are to take legal action."
Bayer Leverkusen abandoned their pursuit of Calhanoglu.
Calhanoglu flourished in the Bundesliga, but Kreuzer floundered as an administrator.
Hamburg investor Klaus-Michael Kuhne, a shipping billionaire, had no qualms if Kreuzer was sacked because he was "stretched too thin," per the Hamburger Morgenpost (h/t Uersfeld at ESPN FC).
Kuhne continued to send "harsh words in Kreuzer's direction," per BT Sport.
Kreuzer, whose only use to Hamburg was his close relationship to Calhanoglu, switched from good cop to bad cop.
Losing Kreuzer as an ally at Hamburg caused Calhanoglu's mind to be in a state of discombobulation.
Granted a "sick note," Calhanoglu refrained from football-related activities at Hamburg for the "next four weeks."
"It's going to be hard for me when I see how much anger and hatred there has been aimed at me," Calhanoglu said, per Bild (h/t Sky Sports). "You know what some people are capable of doing."
In light of Robert Enke and Sebastian Deisler, then-Hamburg manager Mirko Slomka acknowledged the need to be patient with Calhanoglu.
"We will see what [Calhanoglu has] got," Slomka said, per the Bundesliga's website. "[We] will obviously give him all the help he needs."
Calhanoglu's medical leave doubled as a contractual holdout.
Worried that Calhanoglu was self-sabotaging his transfer stock, Kreuzer folded and cashed out.
Bayer Leverkusen signed Calhanoglu in the 2014 summer transfer window for €14.5 million/£11.5 million.
Procuring a €12 million/£9.5 million profit for Hamburg masked how Kreuzer undersold Calhanoglu twice: first at Karlsruher and then at Hamburg.
Ten days later, Hamburg parted company with Kreuzer.
Kreuzer's Guile
"[Kreuzer] is a great guy with whom you can talk to about anything," Calhanoglu said, per Hamburg's website. "He is always there when problems arise and you need someone."
Upset at how much criticism his mentor was taking, Calhanoglu agreed to extend his contract as a public relations boost for Kreuzer.
In return, there was a gentlemen's agreement that Kreuzer would not obstruct Calhanoglu if he sought a transfer away.
In reality, Calhanoglu handed negotiating leverage to Kreuzer.
Calhanoglu was second at Hamburg in Bundesliga goals (11), shots per game (2.8), assists (four) and key passes per game (2.2).
Kreuzer was probably enticed by the idea of Calhanoglu playing out another season and then hoping for an inflated transfer bid from a Premier League club.
This might be why Kreuzer broke his promise to Calhanoglu.
"When I extended my [Hamburg] contract, I wanted to help Kreuzer, who later stabbed me in the back," Calhanoglu said, per Katrin Muller-Hohenstein at Das Aktuelle Sportstudio (h/t Niklas Wildhagen at Bundesliga Fanatic). "The fans didn't know what was going on, and in the end, I looked silly."
There was bad blood between Calhanoglu and Kreuzer in a friendship that used to be mad love.
Both made a really deep cut in each other's psyche.
"The fact that [Calhanoglu] was suddenly healthy again on the day of his transfer [to Bayer Leverkusen] says it all," Kreuzer said, per Bild (h/t Kyle Bonn at NBC Sports Soccer). "We thought he had real health problems, so we gave him time. It would appear he lied."
In a transfer saga where all parties were shamed, Calhanoglu is the only one who has enjoyed a semblance of success a season later.
Despite being placed at No. 102 out of 205 footballers in Kicker's player rankings, Calhanoglu is moving forward, something you can't say about Kreuzer and Hamburg.
Calhanoglu is one of the most lethal free-kick takers in the world and will participate in the UEFA Champions League qualification rounds for Bayer Leverkusen next season.
Kreuzer sued Hamburg over his dismissal, per the Hamburger Morgenpost (h/t Uersfeld at ESPN FC).
Hamburg are stuck in a successive relegation play-off, this time against Karlsruher.
In a parallel universe, Calhanoglu is Karlsruher's version of Adam Lallana, who was promoted with Southampton from League One to the Premier League.
Calhanoglu's tempestuous relationship with Hamburg is alike to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's experience at Malmo, per his autobiography:
No, I won't forgive [then-Malmo sporting director Hasse Borg]. No chance. You don't do something like that to a young guy from a council estate who doesn't know anything about [legal] stuff. You don't pretend to be like a second dad to him while you're looking for every possible loophole to screw him over.
The narrative shouldn't just be a story of Calhanoglu betraying Hamburg—he too was betrayed.
+allanjiang.
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.