According to the matching media reports, the 1. FC Köln is right before the obligation of desired coach Lukas Kwasniok.
The 43-year-old is said to be approved by SC Paderborn for a change to Bundesliga– The “Bild”, the Cologne “Express” and “Sky” reported on Wednesday. Accordingly, a transfer fee of around one million euros is due. Kwasniok should receive a contract by 2027.
He would be one of the most expensive coaching transfers in Cologne club history, for Markus Beginning the FC in 2018 had paid a slightly higher sum to Holstein Kiel. Kwasniok would succeed Friedhelm Funkel at the second division champion and train a first division team for the first time.
Most recently with Paderborn successful
Kwasniok was recently coach of SC Paderborn for four years, with whom he played around the Bundesliga promotion in the 2024/25 season and led him to fourth place – his best placement in his time at the East Westphalia. After the missed ascent, Kwasniok had initially announced that they wanted to take a break.
With the commitment of Kwasniok, a piece of FC history would be repeated, Cologne had already signed a long-time coach of SC Paderborn: Under Steffen Baumgart, the Rhinelanders, previously saved in the relegation, did the qualification for the Conference League. Kwasniok succeeded Baumgart in Paderborn.
Before his station in Paderborn, Kwasniok had worked as a trainer at 1st FC Saarbrücken and Carl Zeiss Jena. With Saarbrücken, he had made the jump into the semi-finals of the DFB Cup in 2020 and the promotion to the 3rd league.
Not enough approval for sparkle
Before the commitment of Kwasniok, the media had speculated whether Friedhelm Funkel remains FC coach. The 71-year-old had led Cologne to promotion and signaled in the last two season games. However, he did not “feel 100 percent approval in the committees,” said Funkel.
