1. FC Köln wants to sign Swiss central defender Joël Schmied. The president of his club FC Sion reveals internal details from the negotiations.
For 1. FC Köln, who have finally been freed from the transfer ban, it continues to be difficult to sign winter signings. After right-back Jusuf Gazibegovic, a striker and a central defender should strengthen the squad of the second division leaders, and the “billy goats” have agreed on the Swiss Joël Schmied for the defensive position. However, the negotiations with his club, FC Sion, are complicated.
Sion President Christian Constantin, who has repeatedly made headlines with scandals in the past, told “Blick” on Monday: “Nothing is ready yet. Because under no circumstances will we let Joël go to the financial conditions, that are up for debate.”
The 67-year-old also revealed what the circumstances were. FC is offering a transfer fee of two million euros, but: “He won’t change for less than three,” said Constantin. “Joël is the pillar of my defense. And across all leagues, it has been the best in Switzerland over the last year and a half. He is also a strong personality. Guys like that are rare,” explains the building contractor.
Constantin even allowed himself to be drawn into a comparison with a world star: “It’s like Sergio Ramos when he moved to PSG three years ago.” Real Madrid lost an important leading figure and found it difficult to replace him. Sion is now doing a similar thing with regard to Schmied, whose contract runs until 2026. “I’m not spoiling any player’s career, but of course the deal has to be right for me,” said Constantin.
The poker for Cologne’s dream defender is in full swing. At the training camp in Estepona, Spain, where the FC has been preparing for the second half of the season since Saturday and until next Friday, Christian Keller has rarely been seen at the training sessions – the sports director is apparently busy with negotiations.
A mid-single-digit million sum is available to Keller for the three commitments planned this winter. Right-back Gazibegovic came from Sturm Graz for around two million euros. An additional striker could be loaned out, as Ivan Prtajin was considered at Union Berlin.
Central defender Schmied was actually supposed to join the team during the Spain training camp, but according to Constantin, this would be difficult. “I have a second offer that I can’t give any details about. It comes from Europe, but not from Germany. And the offer is well over three million,” is his attempt to increase the price for Schmied to drive.
Constantin’s scandals: scandal surrounding Sion’s sports director
“CC”, as he is called in Switzerland, is likely to be a special negotiating partner for the people of Cologne. Because Christian Constantin and his son Barthélémy, who acts as sports director in Sion, are controversial figures in Swiss football. In 2011, for example, the president signed and used six new recruits despite a transfer ban. The association then deducted 36 points from Sion as a penalty.
The next scandal followed at the end of 2017. Constantin senior knocked out Rolf Fringer, the former head coach of VfB Stuttgart. At the time he was working as a TV expert and had to defend himself from punches and kicks from the Sion president. And that’s not all: At this time, his son Barthélémy also became conspicuous and verbally insulted Fringer to such an extent that he was subsequently banned for ten games. More negative headlines followed. 1. FC Köln, however, hopes to be able to announce positive transfer news soon.