In January, Jonas Urbig moved from 1. FC Cologne to FC Bayern. Effzeh sports director Thomas Kessler definitely believes the youngster can make his breakthrough in Munich.
“I accompanied Jonas for many years and it was clear relatively early on that he had exceptional talent. He developed greatly during the loan spells in Regensburg and Fürth, so that he was also number one for us. Even though the coach decided on Marvin Schwäbe last year in a difficult phase,” Kessler enthused in an interview with “Sport1”.
The sports director added: “The fact that he is now playing for Bayern shows that Jonas is a very, very talented goalkeeper who has a lot of potential and is very capable of learning.”
Considering that Urbig is only 22 years old, his development is “incredibly advanced”.
Urbig recently also received praise from Bayern’s sports director Christoph Freund. “Jonas is developing very well,” he said. The youngster had already shown last season that “despite his young age, he is at a very, very high level”.
1. FC Cologne is planning long-term with El Mala
In the interview, Kessler also commented on Said El Mala.
“The first appearances were very promising. But you shouldn’t forget that he was in the starting line-up for only the second time in the Bundesliga against BVB at the weekend. The expectations in Cologne can be immense, also due to the media environment,” warned the 39-year-old.
1. FC Köln will accompany the high-flyer in taking one step after the other. “He’s not finished yet,” announced Kessler.
In the cathedral city you don’t think about leaving early. “We sat together with him and his stakeholders for a long time in the summer and extended his contract, which runs until 2029, by a further one until 2030,” explained Kessler: “In doing so, we made a clear statement that we see the future with him and are very happy that Said is with us.”