FC departure threatens to be a hanging game
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This article was first published at 3:22 p.m. and was later updated with TSG Hoffenheim’s denial.
Said El Mala is set to bring 1. FC Köln a new transfer record this summer. The Premier League is considered the 19-year-old’s most likely goal, but a move to Brentford FC failed in the last few meters last week due to the will of the youngster and his family. It won’t go to TSG Hoffenheim either. The Bundesliga club quickly took the wind out of the sails of a transfer rumor on Saturday.
The “Express” had previously reported that the Kraichgauers were planning an advance at El Mala. Accordingly, the TSG wants to put together a big package and entice them with a lot of hand money, an expensive salary and a long-term contract. Another treat would be the prospects for brother Malek, who could gain match practice at a high level with the second representation in the 3rd league. On Saturday afternoon, TSG responded to a corresponding post with the message on their
Hoffenheim qualified for the Europa League this season and increased their squad value by almost 50 percent since July 1, 2025. Nevertheless, it was clear that a transfer could not be easily achieved from an economic perspective. In the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, TSG recorded a significant loss of a total of 50 million euros in their final balance sheets.
TSG Hoffenheim has to generate a transfer plus
Despite qualifying for Europe, according to the “Kicker”, a hefty transfer increase must be achieved this summer because UEFA can only use investor money to cover losses to a limited extent. In addition, UEFA club competition participants are allowed to invest a maximum of 70 percent of their income into the squad, which makes large investments difficult. Not least because of this, the most valuable players in the squad such as Bazoumana Touré (40 million euros market value) and Fisnik Asllani (35 million euros) are considered sales candidates.
In order to have a realistic chance of a transfer at El Mala, Hoffenheim would have had to significantly exceed their own spending record for a player. In the negotiations with Brentford, Effzeh successfully insisted on a transfer fee of 50 million euros. TSG has never spent more than in the summer of 2024 on Adam Hlozek, who came from Leverkusen for 18 million euros. There is already a transfer loss of 34.5 million euros for the coming season.
El Mala’s departure from Cologne threatens to be a hanging game
For Cologne, the poker around El Mala could drag on for a long time. Managing director Philipp Türoff said on Friday that it “may take until the last day of the transfer period. That’s not a scenario we’re aiming for, but we can’t rule it out.” After the failed Brentford deal, there are currently no specific interested parties.