Because FC Bayern signed Sacha Boey from Galatasaray, the Turks needed a replacement on defense. They found what they were looking for in the 2nd Bundesliga.
Hannover 96 has to let a top performer go. Full-back Derrick Köhn is moving to Turkey with immediate effect. The second division team announced this on Thursday evening.
“Derrick is a good boy who we wish him all the best in his new job and on his future path. He has clearly signaled to us that he wants to accept this offer and no longer sees his future in Hanover,” said 96 sports director Marcus Man. Of course, especially as a second division team, one of our goals must be to generate surpluses on the transfer market – we have succeeded in doing that very well here.”
In fact, Hannover is expected to collect a tidy sum for the 25-year-old. According to a report from the pay-TV broadcaster Sky, the club will receive well over three million euros. Including possible bonus payments, the sum could rise to up to 3.7 million euros. His contract should be valid until 2026 and include the option of an extension.
A change at this point is still possible as the winter transfer window in Turkey is open longer than that in Germany. While all deals in this country had to be completed by February 1st, transfers in Turkey are still permitted until this Friday (February 9th).
Köhn replaces Bayern star in Istanbul
Köhn was trained at HSV and FC Bayern and came to Hanover in the summer of 2022 via the Dutch station Willem II Tilburg. With the “Reds” he knew how to convince straight away and was particularly dangerous on the offensive. In his first season he scored five goals and added six more. This season he hit the opponent’s goal three times and collected six assists: top figures for a trained defender.
At Galatasaray, Köhn is now replacing a player who recently moved to FC Bayern. About two weeks ago, the Munich team paid a whopping 30 million euros to the top Turkish club for Sacha Boey. The Istanbul team now invested part of the sum raised in Köhn – and thus also gave Hanover an impressive sum for a second division team.
At first glance, it seems unclear who exactly should replace Köhn at Lower Saxony. However, people in Hanover are optimistic that the departure can be compensated for. “You always have to carefully consider letting a regular player go, but we have options in our squad to deal with the departure well,” emphasized Marcus Mann.
One thing is clear: 96 faces a Herculean task on Friday evening. Coach Stefan Leitl’s team meets Hamburger SV away. The loss of Derrick Köhn doesn’t make the hunt for points in the North duel any easier.