Strong again under Walter
©IMAGO
With the change of coach to Tim Walter, Holstein Kiel stopped its free fall towards the 3rd league and has recently been clearly on the rise. Left-back and KSV record signing John Tolkin also benefited from the associated system change from a three-man to a four-man defense chain. The 23-year-old’s potential was never in dispute, but in the role as a rail player on the left side he had problems playing to his strengths. With a real offensive winger in front of him, he showed significantly improved form before his medial ligament injury in the important 2-1 in Düsseldorf on matchday 29. This apparently brought the English second division champions Coventry City onto the scene.
According to transfer market information from England, coach Frank Lampard’s club has had Tolkin observed. There has been no contact between the clubs so far, but according to “shz” information, the professional has an exit clause. Due to his injury, the ten-time US international will miss the rest of the season and the fight to stay in the league. It is unclear whether it could still be enough for the home World Cup. Tolkin was last in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad in November 2025.
The defensive man from New Jersey, who came from the New York Red Bulls at the beginning of 2025 for a fee of 2.5 million euros, is contractually bound to Holstein until 2028. If there was a corresponding offer, the KSV would be open to discussions. Given the injury, can that be expected soon?
Coventry will play in the Premier League next season and will be very active in the transfer market, as the recent past among the promoted teams has shown. The Welsh international Jay Dasilva (28), whose challenger Tolkin could become in the event of a possible transfer, is seeded there in the Championship this season. Behind Lampard, Miguel Ángel Brau (24) and veteran Jake Bidwell (33) are nominally available. It is unclear whether they will go to the first league. Brau only came from his native Spain in the summer of 2025, but he didn’t really impress and has been out injured since the beginning of the year.
