Hamburg new signing Mladen Petric is delighted to join Croatia teammate Ivica Olic at Nordbank Arena. The 27-year-old left Borussia Dortmund for HSV in a part-exchange deal, which saw Egypt striker Mohamed Zidan moving the other direction. "Of course it will be brilliant to play with Olic. We have known each other for a long time and we get along great," Petric told HSV's official site. "Last season I played alongside another compatriot in Dortmund-Robert Kovac, and this season alongside Ivi. "I am really looking forward to it, but not only because of Ivi. I have heard a lot of good things about HSV, like the spirit in the team is very good. So I am looking forward to playing with all of my new team mates." Whilst he is eyeing to partner Olic in the Hamburg frontline, Petric is not willing for an off-the-field association with his fellow countryman.
Ivica Olic "We used to share the same room, but now I have a single room because certain players snore and I don't get much sleep!" joked the Croatia international. Bigger Petric revealed the reasons behind his switch as he considers Hamburg to be a bigger club than 1997 European champions Dortmund. "HSV is one of the biggest clubs in the Bundesliga, and the only one never to have been relegated. I was at a big club during my time in Dortmund, but HSV is an even bigger club," he added. "Of course one of the reasons was the possibility of playing Champions League football, which was always one of my main ambitions. "I have never played in the competition before and I see my chances of doing so at HSV as very good. "Another aspect was how hard HSV tried to sign me. It is always nice when a club really fights for your signature."
