18 months ago, everything seemed to be going Albert Gronbaek's way. After making a name for himself with impressive performances in the Europa League with Bodo/Glimt, he secured a lucrative and potentially very promising €15 million transfer to Stade Rennais in the French Ligue 1.
At the same time, he had broken into the Danish national team, where he earned the Man of the Match award in his debut against Switzerland (2-0) in September 2024, and in the same month, he scored a superb first-timer to help Denmark to a 2-0 win at home against Serbia in a crucial European Championship qualifier.
But then the problems began to arise for the 23-year-old. In November, Argentinian coach Jorge Sampaoli took over Rennes and implemented a more rigid, simplistic tactical style, which completely clashed with Gronbaek's personal strengths as an attacking midfielder.
Gronbaek was frozen out of the squad and instead was loaned out to English side Southampton for the second half of the 2024/25 season, where he saw very limited playing time and failed to establish a foothold.
His problems continued at Genoa, where he spent the first half of the 2025/26 season, making only four substitute appearances in Serie A, and was trapped in transfer limbo before his contract there was finally cancelled.
After securing a career-reviving loan to HSV in late January, he then suffered a thigh injury in training, delaying his highly anticipated Bundesliga debut for several weeks.
But then from on, Gronbaek seems to have taken several steps in the right direction to revive his career and earn himself a permanent four-year contract with HSV, who, after being promoted, finished in 13th spot in the German Bundesliga last season.
Gronbaek's remarkable attitude in particular has taken the Germans by storm, says HSV expert Stefan Walther from Hamburger Abendblatt.
"Coach (Merlin Polzin) in the spring asked him if he was able to cover the left wingback position (as Miro Muheim was injured). It was expected that Gronbaek would say no because he had never played that position before, and he only had a very few months left to impress. So if he did a poor job, no other club would have been interested in signing him. But very surprisingly, he accepted.
"People at the club have been very surprised by his hunger to succeed, and Polzin has been very impressed by his abilities at wingback, where he has defended very aggressively and also helped HSV a lot in the transitional phase where he moves into a role of attacking midfielder when they have the ball," says Walther to Flashcore.
Walther underlines that Gronbaek at HSV is a match made in heaven for both player and club.
"Gronbaek is the perfect fit for HSV because, unlike any other player, he can play any position on the team, and it’s a big luxury for HSV to have a player like that who can step in if somebody has a problem in whatever position," adds Walther, who does not necessarily see Gronbaek as an obvious choice for the starting lineup.
"I don’t see him as a starter in this team, but I see him as a very important player. I regard him as the 12th player on the team, who can cover any challenge they may have. He has done very well as a left wingback, and when moving forward, he has combined very well with Sambi Lokonga and Fabio Vieira in attacking midfield."
Walther says he is anxious to see what happens after the World Cup, where Gronbaek's responsibilities could change.
"Muheim has only one year left on his contract, and he was injured in the spring. At the same time, there is a lot of doubt whether HSV can agree a price with Arsenal for the services of Vieira (who has been on loan), and if those players leave HSV, Gronbaek is likely to replace either of them," concludes Walther.
Gronbaek is expected to be in action this evening when Denmark face Ukraine in a friendly in Odense.