A BVB professional is said to have sparked desire at 1. FC Cologne. Image: dpa / Bernd Thissen
Bundesliga
Finally, 1. FC Köln once again felt a sense of achievement: Coach Steffen Baumgart’s team won 8-0 in the friendly against first division team SpVg Porz on Wednesday. Instead of the usual players, several regular reserves were able to demonstrate their performance. With some success.
“If we look at the competition, I mean Max Finkgräfe, what the little guy is doing doesn’t look bad,” Baumgart said of the 19-year-old talent, who has already played four times in the league.
Sargis Adamyan, on the other hand, is in a more difficult situation. “The others came and took a step forward,” commented the Cologne coach about the competitive situation surrounding the Armenian striker. “And in the end they will measure you by goals.” That is what is missing most in FC at the moment.
Cologne only scored nine goals in eleven games, more than any other team in the Bundesliga. Therefore, the club is looking for a new striker, as sporting director Christian Keller recently confirmed. Better in winter. Steffen Baumgart has already defined a requirements profile.
Watson is now on WhatsApp
The BVB forward on the radar of 1. FC Köln
“If we bring in a player, it should be a player who no longer has to develop,” the 51-year-old said of his transfer ideas. “Either he played in the Bundesliga or I have the feeling that I have seen him before in the Bundesliga.”
At least a player who, according to information from “Bild”, is on Cologne’s radar would fit into the second set: Youssoufa Moukoko.
1. FC Köln would be interested in Youssoufa Moukoko. Image: dpa / Borislav Troshev
In Dortmund, the talented 18-year-old does not go beyond the role of substitute player and was not once in the starting lineup during the season. The arrival of Niclas Füllkrug in the summer has further intensified the competitive situation in the top attack. However, DFB legend Miroslav Klose sees this as a positive circumstance for Moukoko.
“Now he has taken a bit of a backseat, also in terms of concentration, which could be good for him in the long term,” Klose told “RND”. “We must not forget that the boy is 18 years old and he has something that the others do not have: he can score goals out of nothing. Please give him more time.”
Youssoufa Moukoko: The goal is the European Championship at home next year
The 43-year-old said he was “excited from a young age” and now has to learn to deal with setbacks and defend against resistance. AND: “The sooner the better.”
Moukoko would like to play for Germany at next year’s European Championship. To prove his worth to national coach Julian Nagelsmann, he needs match practice. Dortmund itself is not opposed to a transfer either.
Last season, Youssoufa Moukoko got the flat cap from Steffen Baumgart. Image: dpa / Bernd Thissen
According to Bild, Baumgart had already insisted on a transfer from Moukoko in the summer and was a big admirer of the striker. Moukoko himself also seems to sympathize with Baumgart: when the two teams met last season, Moukoko gave his shirt to the Cologne coach and in return received his typical flat cap.
The problem: at Borussia Dortmund, the under-21 international earns an annual salary of six million euros and Cologne would have to make great financial efforts even if he were on loan. BVB will also be missing Sébastien Haller from January, who is assigned to the African Cup of Nations. On the personnel front, things could get complicated again for Dortmund.
The situation at 1. FC Union Berlin is dramatic. After eleven games, the Hierro team only managed six points with a goal difference of 11:26. In addition, they have been waiting for a victory for 14 competitive games.