The 1st FC Köln turns briefly again on the squad bike in January. Going two talents, a goalkeeper is coming – but also a striker?
When the press conference of 1. FC Köln began on Thursday morning before the away game at Eintracht Braunschweig, it was immediately clear which questions would be the focus. If coach Gerhard Struber is usually allowed to get in with the current staff and thus focus directly on the sporty, this time, license player Thomas Kessler had to answer the first questions.
The FC had passed another player with Maximilian Schmid only minutes before the PK started. The striker changes to FC Erzgebirge Aue. At the beginning of the press conference, Kessler didn’t even know that the club had just published the message. But Kessler had other reports in his luggage.
First of all, another departure: Meiko Wäschenbach will switch to Karlsruher SC and thus to a direct competitor of the billy goats. “With Meiko it looks like he will join the KSC,” said Kessler, referring to the medical check that the 21-year-old completed in Baden on Thursday.
However, a medical check also took place at the same time as the press conference in Cologne. “I no longer have to make a secret that we found an goalkeeper with Anthony Racioppi who is expected here today for the medical,” said the license player manager. Racioppi comes from Hull City from the English championship and is supposed to close the gap that Jonas Urbig left with his switch to Bayern.
“Anthony has been on our list for a long time,” revealed Kessler. “He did a very good job at Young Boys in Switzerland. Now the opportunity came because his transfer to England was not as well as he had imagined.” Racioppi switched to England last summer, but had not been able to assert himself there. So now the transfer to Cologne.
“We will borrow it by summer, then have the chance to take over him in the summer,” Kessler also confirmed the purchase option after the end of the current season. With the commitment, the goats already have an eye on that there are many question marks on the goalkeeper position. The contracts of all goalkeepers behind Marvin Schwäbe (Philipp Pentke, Matthias Köbbing, Jonas Nickisch, Alessandro Blazic) expire on June 30th, Swabia in turn has an exit clause in case that FC missed the return to the Bundesliga.
So while FC has planning security with Racioppi, the striker question remains unclear. “We strive for this personnel, but we will not bend and break anything to calm people,” said Kessler. “We are working on it and have a few more days.” But it remains completely open whether the FC actually obliges another attacker.
After all, it is now clear that FC wants to sign the Bosnian Imad Rondic from Widzew Lodz. The President of the Polish club had confirmed an offer from the billy goats on Wednesday – but also rejected. “But I will not make any water level reports,” said Kessler. FC first wants to create facts before commenting on the personnel. The Cologne residents still have time until Monday (February 3), when the transfer window closes.