News blog about 1. FC Cologne
Fourth winter departure fixed: defender moves to Poland
Updated on January 16, 2025 – 6:31 p.mReading time: 9 minutes
1. FC Köln is the football club from the cathedral city. In the news ticker on t-online you will find all the important reports about the “billy goats”.
1. FC Köln has announced the fourth loan of the winter. After Sargis Adamyan (Jahn Regensburg), Florian Dietz (SCR Altach) and Elias Bakatukanda (Blau-Weiß Linz), Rasmus Carstensen is also leaving the “Billy Billy Goats”. The Dane is moving to Lech Poznan, the leader of the Polish Ekstraklasa, until the end of the season.
FC managing director Christian Keller explains: “Rasmus came to us with the desire to regain his sporting self-confidence and old performance through a temporary change in atmosphere.” The 24-year-old only played in four competitive games during the first half of the season. Due to the signing of Jusuf Gazibegovic – also a right-back – his prospects of match practice in Cologne have recently been further reduced.
According to recent developments, FC Bayern Munich is once again looking at the goalkeeper position. According to various media reports, the Bundesliga club would like to sign the talent Jonas Urbig from 1. FC Köln. Sky reports that the club and goalkeeper have already reached a verbal agreement. Accordingly, the 21-year-old Urbig should move in during the winter transfer period Munich change.
According to reports, Bayern and Cologne are also already in direct negotiations about a change. An initial offer from Munich is said to have been rejected by the second division club. It was said that the negotiations are currently about a transfer fee of around eight million euros. This means the young professional could become the most expensive second division goalkeeper in history. Urbig’s contract in Cologne runs until 2026.
Despite a double all-clear, 1. FC Köln is worried about Tim Lemperle and Dejan Ljubicic. The two regulars who were substituted with muscle problems in their thighs in the friendly against Viktoria Köln (3-2) on Tuesday did not suffer any structural injuries. This was the result of the respective MRI examinations in the Cologne Mediapark Clinic.
It is still extremely questionable whether Lemperle and Ljubicic can be there when FC start the second half of the season at Hamburger SV on Saturday evening. Both are injured due to their injuries and can currently only train individually. It remains to be seen whether the top performers will return to team training by the final session on Friday.
While the second division men of 1. FC Köln are still looking for a striker, the Bundesliga women have already found their new attacker: On Tuesday, the billy goats announced the signing of Amélie Delabre. The 24-year-old Frenchwoman is moving from Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht to Cologne and has signed a contract until the summer of 2027.
Sports director Nicole Bender-Rummler is looking forward to a “dangerous striker” who has “an incredible will to win”. Delabre herself “wants to help the team with my goals” and “have a different experience in another country,” she said. With the transfer to Cologne she is leaving her “comfort zone”, but: “It was an easy decision – I see the club and the project and think that it suits me very well.”
After tough transfer negotiations, 1. FC Köln made their second signing this winter on Monday. Joël Schmied is reportedly moving from FC Sion to Geißbockheim for around two and a half million euros. The central defender has signed a contract with the second division club until 2029.
“With his athletic and technical-tactical skills, Joël fits our requirements profile very well. At FC Sion, he has also led the way as a captain and a very good communicator on and off the field. We are pleased that Joël will be able to do all of this in training and in the games at FC and raise the competition in this position to another level,” says FC managing director Christian Keller.
The 26-year-old himself says of his decision: “Moving to FC is pure motivation for me. I am very happy that after my successful time at FC Sion, I can now take my next career step in Cologne, with this great, traditional club. Those responsible gave me a very good feeling right from the start and fought for my commitment. I thought that was outstanding and from now on I will do everything to repay the trust and belief in my sporting abilities on the pitch looking forward to the first units with the team and can hardly wait to play for the first time with the Billy Goat on his chest.”