Ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv Star Emir Sahiti Struggling in Germany

Kosovarian winger Emir Sahiti, who was a key player for Maccabi Tel Aviv during the latter half of last season, helping them win the State Cup, is experiencing a difficult start to his tenure with his new club, Hannover 96. Despite his impactful half-season in Israel, where he scored four goals and provided four assists, Sahiti returned to his parent club, Hamburg, after his loan spell ended. Hamburg did not retain him, and he subsequently joined Hannover 96.

Hannover 96 has had a poor start to their season, currently sitting 14th in the league after eight rounds, just three points above the relegation zone. In the five games since Sahiti's arrival, the team has only won twice, with Sahiti accumulating just 166 minutes of playing time. German journalist Fritz Willig described the team as lacking a game plan and struggling to create chances, noting Sahiti's performance as "weak to say the least."

Florian Krebs, a reporter for BILD covering Hannover, stated that Sahiti has not integrated well, appearing like an "outsider" both in terms of his on-field ability and his integration into the squad. Even Jonas Boldt, who knew Sahiti from their time at Hamburg, is reportedly surprised. Krebs added that the new coach initially invested time in Sahiti, including him in the starting lineup, but a poor performance led to him being substituted at halftime, and he was an unused substitute in the following match.

German publication Kicker echoed these sentiments, suggesting Sahiti is becoming a regular bench player and is not at a starting level. Statistics from his recent match against Magdeburg show him taking only one shot, having one unsuccessful dribble, a low pass completion rate in the final third, and failing to deliver any crosses into the box. He also lost all five defensive duels. His season statistics are similarly unimpressive, with less than one shot per game, a low expected goals (xG) of 0.05, low expected assists (xA) of 0.02, and only one successful dribble per game. While it's still early in the season, Sahiti's decision not to remain in Israel appears to have been a misstep so far.