National handball player Johannes Golla is aiming to return to Flensburg

Germany's handball captain Johannes Golla has publicly expressed his desire for a quick return from MT Melsungen to Bundesliga rivals SG Flensburg-Handewitt for the first time, citing health problems.

«The farewell to Flensburg and all the loved ones there leaves its mark. People who know me well have long since seen that I'm not feeling well and that it's no longer just homesickness, but that my mental health is seriously at risk," wrote Golla on Instagram.

The 28-year-old pivot only moved from Flensburg to North Hesse in the summer. The transfer was completed in December 2024. “I am clear that the decision to sign the contract in Melsungen was premature,” Golla now admitted. The living conditions of him and his family have changed since then.

Clubs in dialogue

Golla's contract with the Champions League participant, where the national player played from 2015 to 2018, is valid until the summer of 2031. He has always fulfilled his contracts so far, but is now in a situation "in which that seems impossible to me," said Golla.

He can only give 100 percent “if I’m feeling well. And I can only be well if - as a person and not just as a professional athlete - I pay attention not only to my physical but also to my mental health, acknowledge my mistakes, stand up for myself and my family and do everything I can to actively shape my future," Golla continued.

Flensburg supports Golla

Flensburg's sports director Ljubomir Vranjes assured Golla of his full support in the talks with MT Melsungen. «Of course we support Johannes. It would be strange if we didn't do that. “He’s a legend in our club,” said Vranjes on the streaming service Dyn on Saturday after the North Germans’ Bundesliga game against Frisch Auf Göppingen.

Melsungen's sports director Jesper Larsson explained the matter: "Of course we have to sit down again and see what possible solutions there are. The fact is that Johannes has a contract here at MT until 2031 and we'll just have to see what happens in the end."

In initial discussions with the SG, “no sum was mentioned as to what it would cost to buy Johannes out of here.”