Striker Anthony Modeste leaves 1. FC Köln with a lot of fanfare. Now the club is trying to close the gap that has arisen. It won’t be easy.
Anthony Modeste and the 1. FC Cologne – this connection, which was so successful last season, is history. But the striker’s farewell caused a lot of fanfare even after its release. Coach Steffen Baumgart was angry about the timing of the announcement. “It pisses me off,” said Baumgart: “It’s not the first time I’ve had the feeling that something is coming out, and not from us.” On the other hand, many FC supporters see their image of the greedy egoist who puts their own interests above those of the club as confirmed when they look at Modeste.
One thing is certain: 1. FC Köln would have liked to see the exceptional player in their own ranks again this season, which would have been a difficult undertaking given the club’s empty coffers. The people of Cologne have to save massively, also on the salaries of the players. For example, midfielder Florian Kainz was willing to take a pay cut when he recently extended his contract.
A lot of money for the cash-strapped Cologne cash register
Anthony Modeste was not, and also wanted a two-year extension of his contract, which expires next summer. That, in turn, was out of the question for the people of Cologne, who initially only wanted to stay together for a year. The result: The 34-year-old Modeste already expressed his intention to change at the training camp in Donaueschingen in July.
According to media reports, Modeste has now agreed to a one-year contract with Borussia Dortmund – albeit with far better salaries than in Cologne. At BVB he is said to earn six million euros a year, almost twice as much as in Cologne (3.5 million euros). The change also allegedly flushes five million euros into the coffers of the people of Cologne. Money that the club will most likely invest in a Modeste replacement before the August 31 transfer deadline.
38 percent goal participation – best in the league
Now FC coach Steffen Baumgart and his team have the difficult task of closing the gap left by the Frenchman. With 20 goals, Modeste played a major role in FC’s Conference League qualification at the end of last season. He was involved in 38 percent of all Cologne Bundesliga goals – more than any other striker in the league. Robert Lewandowski, formerly Bayern Munich, came second in this ranking with 36 percent. That shows how important Modeste was for the people of Cologne. On the other hand, it also makes the predictability of the Cologne game clear, which was extremely tailored to the central striker.
Florian Dietz against Schalke
Baumgart threw the regional league striker Florian Dietz in at the deep end against Schalke on Sunday (07.08.2022). Dietz stormed alongside the agile Jan Thielmann and didn’t do badly, but is still a long way from being a real alternative in the FC storm in the long term. Dietz came to FC two years ago. In 31 games for the regional league team, he scored 17 goals. Before that, he played a few third division games for FC Carl Zeiss Jena and SpVgg. Unterhaching.
Newcomer Steffen Tigges, who is currently in advanced training, still has to prove his suitability for the Bundesliga. Tigges, who FC brought from Dortmund in the summer, is, like Modeste, a tall striker (1.93 metres). At BVB, however, he only had a good hit rate in the Regionalliga West (61 games/31 goals). Before that, he only scored four goals in 80 third-division games for VfL Osnabrück.
Pohjanpalo and Hrgota in conversation
Another problem child of the Cologne offensive is Sebastian Andersson. The Swede was supposed to be transferred, but his move to Brondby Copenhagen fell through. Andersson’s last FC season was not a letter of application. In 26 appearances, only three of them over the full distance, he scored three goals. He has now resumed training at FC and could still get a chance due to current developments.
But that also depends on who the FC has signed up for. In conversation are Branimir Hrgota from Bundesliga relegated SpVgg. Greuther Furth and Joel Pohjanpalo from Bayer Leverkusen. Neither are top-class players like Anthony Modeste, but both are men of Bundesliga stature. With a new type of striker and less predictability – maybe that’s where 1. FC Köln without Anthony Modeste have a chance.
