FC St. Pauli

Mats Møller Dæhli is back in training after one of the shortest summer holidays he has had. After helping the Boys in Brown ward off the threat of relegation, the Norwegian hooked up with the national team. "The stadium in Oslo is just two minutes from my house, so it was nice to be back where I grew up," said the 22-year-old. The St. Pauli midfielder featured for 83 minutes of the friendly against Sweden and then enjoyed a break lasting just under two weeks. "I went to the north of Norway for a week to relax and not think about football," he said, revealing that he spent the time fishing.

The fans are not the only ones who are delighted the loan deal with SC Freiburg for the Norwegian has been extended. "I'm really happy to be back in Hamburg and I want to have another good season and improve my game," Møller Dæhli said. "I had conversations with Freiburg and they understood why I wanted to stay so much," he added.

Møller Dæhli has settled in well at the Millerntor since his arrival six months ago. He knows head coach Olaf Janssen very well now and has also had a chance to have a look at the new signings over the last two days. "I've seen them in training and they look really good," he said. "They bring quality and it's good that we can strengthen the squad and keep the stability we had in the second part of last season."

When asked about the goals for next season, the Oslo-born player remained circumspect, pointing out that second-division survival was only secured with three games to go. "We need to start better than last season," Møller Dæhli said. "If we can keep the same mentality as in the second part of the season, I think we can have a better season. We did a lot of good things. We trained hard, focused on every game and showed character. But it will be very hard. I want to help the team as best I can and make the fans happy."

The full press conference with Mats (in English) can be seen on fcstpauli.tv (subscription required).

Photos: FC St. Pauli