Jol, who was sacked by Tottenham in October, was appointed by the Bundesliga club on May 13, and he claims that in the short time he has been in Germany he has already seen that his new side can improve on the fourth-placed finish achieved this season.

"For me, HSV is up there with Bayern Munich as the biggest and best club in Germany," he said on Wednesday.

"I have seen the team play over the last few weeks and they are a very good, young team.

"If we add a player or two, we can do even better than this year."

The Dutchman, who replaces his compatriot Huub Stevens, added that he originally had no interest in leaving London but claims he could not resist the chance to join Hamburg.

"I was in London and wanted to stay there," he continued.

"I had many offers, but I didn't want them - I wanted to wait and as soon as HSV called, I needed just five seconds to consider it."

As well as adding players to the squad, Jol highlighted the necessity to keep hold of the club's top performers.

The man Jol most wants to keep is club captain Rafael van der Vaart, who has so far refused to sign an extension to his contract which expires in 2010.

"If he wants to leave, then we will have to do all we can to keep hold of him," Jol insisted.

"He is one of the best five playmakers in Europe and he dictates the rhythm of HSV."