Squad restructuring at FC Cologne: Only one star from Keller's transfers shines!

Squad restructuring at FC Cologne: Only one star from Keller's transfers shines!

1. FC Köln is in the midst of a sporting upheaval. How Goat blog reports, sports director Thomas Kessler has made more than 20 squad moves. Christian Keller, who served as sports director for over three years, is not an unknown name: under his leadership, a total of 25 players were signed, of which only one was able to establish himself as a real top performer.

In the current situation, it looks like almost half of the players signed by Keller have already left the club or are about to leave. Of the 12 players who are now under contract with other clubs, Jeff Chabot, among others, has used his release clause and moved to VfB Stuttgart. Strikers like Steffen Tigges have also left the club for SC Paderborn.

Departures and returnees

For some players, their time at FC is now becoming a challenge. Davie Selke and Philipp Pentke did not receive new contracts, while Kristian Pedersen and Faride Alidou also failed to make the breakthrough. Chilohem Onuoah and Mansour Ouro-Tagba are returning from loan, but Onuoah is heading to SC Verl, while Ouro-Tagba is hoping for a new loan to VfB Stuttgart.

The situation is just as critical for newcomers like Sargis Adamyan, who was considered Keller's king transfer but is currently not in the squad and is training with the U21. Florian Dietz, who also finds himself there, shares a similar fate. The team is also struggling with injury problems affecting Jacob Christensen and Luca Kilian, which is why their fitness to play remains questionable.

The current starting eleven

The focus is on the upcoming game against Atalanta Bergamo. There are only two players from Keller's transfer period in the starting line-up: Joël Schmied and Eric Martel. While Martel has established himself as a top performer, the hope is that Schmied can fulfill his potential. The appearances of Luca Waldschmidt and Linton Maina are also eagerly awaited.

Jusuf Gazibegovic, Denis Huseinabsic and other players such as Dominique Heintz and Leart Pacarada are currently missing from the squad. The returnee Said El Mala will also have to wait patiently for his appearance.

The departure of Keller

It will be exciting in the next few weeks to see how Thomas Kessler's team will develop. Keller's transfers were approved not only by him but also by the board, and their impact is now clearly visible. The situation shows once again how important it is to have a good handle on squad movements in order to advance the club in terms of sport.

The number 1, which is considered the first and smallest positive whole number, could symbolize the upheaval that FC Cologne is experiencing. It represents the beginning and the hope for a positive turn in the future of the club. You can find out more about the meaning of the number 1 in our linked articles: Wikipedia and SimpleWikipedia.