In the table, the Rhine rivals 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach are close together, with their problems in the coming transfer period too – but for very different reasons.
The loyal fans of 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach must be very strong now – because they actually have something in common. Both clubs don’t like that at all, and then apart from the proximity in the table, there are also similar problems. It’s about the upcoming transfer window, which could be groundbreaking for the near future of the two bitter competitors.
Transfer ban – appeal and lawsuit pending
As is well known, FIFA has imposed a transfer ban on the Cologne team. FC will not be able to register any new players this summer due to a possible breach of contract when signing 17-year-old forward Jaka Cuber Potocnik from Slovenian club NK Olimpija Ljubljana. Cologne has appealed, the case will be heard before the CAS, the end is open.
What is certain is that the team of coach Steffen Baumgart will make a youth out of necessity. FC want to equip several of their jewels with professional contracts from the extremely successful U-19 department, which recently won the cup and reached the semi-finals in the Bundesliga and has already done so in some cases. Players on loan can be committed to this as they are already registered with the club. This also happened with defense chief Jeff Chabot, who was bought by FC Genoa for a fixed 1.5 million euros and signed until 2026.
Gaps by Skhiri and Hector
The third pillar should be keeping top performers, here the supporters were happy about the contract extension with Florian Kainz. On the other hand, the threatened departure of the dangerous midfield vacuum cleaner Ellyes Skhiri and the end of the career of captain Jonas Hector should be difficult or even impossible to counter.
Gladbach-Gau: Three stars go free of charge
Gladbach Borussia loses at least three, probably even four or five supporting pillars. Particularly bitter from the club’s point of view and in diametrical contradiction to their own philosophy, which has been cultivated for decades, is the fact that there is not a single cent fee for three of these departures. While the 34-year-old captain Lars Stindl, who is going back to his native Karlsruhe and joining the second division KSC, can still get over it, VfL have completely failed with Marcus Thuram and Ramy Bensebaini.
Thuram was supposed to change in the summer of 2021, a contract with Inter Milan had already been negotiated before the Frenchman injured his ankle and the transfer broke. The club couldn’t do anything about that, but it just couldn’t manage to either extend the contract again or find another buyer for the World Cup finalist.
Virkus wants to be “creative” now
“It wasn’t good and of course we don’t want it to happen again.”, CFO Stephan Schippers recently admitted openly. The same thing happened to Bensebaini, however, and he too was able to simply let his contract expire despite a double-digit million market value. Unlike Thuram, the Algerian international, who is on Borussia Dortmund’s wish list, was not injured.
According to manager Roland Virkus, this now means for the sports department: “We have to be creative.” That’s the friendly description of the situation: little money, but big deficits. Coach Daniel Farke has warned several times that this squad “urgently added things like resilience, goal threat and speed” Need to become. The fans are eagerly awaiting what that will look like.
Weigl committed – and a 19-year-old talent
So far, not too much can be admired from the targeted squad realignment. With Julian Weigl, a loan player from Benfica Lisbon was always committed, he should take on management tasks that will be redistributed after Stindl’s departure. Left-back talent Lukas Ullrich comes from Berlin’s Hertha, the 19-year-old is said to be the backup for left-back Luca Netz, also 19-year-old, who also came from Berlin last year.
In order to get the urgently needed new attacking players, a transfer fee will almost certainly have to be generated: Nico Elvedi, who does not want to extend his contract, which expires in 2024, is the safest candidate for a departure. Either this summer or next summer at the latest, Manu Koné should also be properly cashed in.
Farke demands Sturmabteilung, which is good for 30 goals
In any case, Farke just increased the pressure on Virkus again and made it clear when asked by Sportschau that he wanted a storm after the departures of Thuram and Stindl, “which is good for 30 goals, because you need that if you want to have a good season.” Borussia definitely wants that after the current season, which has been bad in terms of play and running – and they also have this wish in common with FC.