1. FC Cologne
First winter newcomer arrives at training camp
Updated on January 5, 2026 – 8:30 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
First a friendly win, then the first winter newcomer: 1. FC Köln starts their training camp in La Nucia with a lot of momentum.
At exactly 8 p.m. the time had come: Jahmai Simpson-Pusey entered the lobby of the five-star Hotel Barceló in La Nucia, Spain. He has been residing there since Friday 1. FC Cologneand Simpson-Pusey is the Billy Goats’ first winter transfer. The 20-year-old is moving to FC on loan from Manchester City.
Confirmation from Cologne was still pending at the time of his arrival in Spain. But early Monday evening all that was missing was the final paperwork to make the deal perfect. FC will bring the central defender to Cologne until the summer, after which the billy goats have a purchase option, and world coach Pep Guardiola’s club in turn has a buyback option.
Simpson-Pusey traveled from England to Cologne on Sunday to complete the medical check. On Monday evening we had to go to the employment office because the defender, as a non-EU foreigner, needed a special work permit. At 6:36 p.m. he finally landed at Alicante airport on the Ryanair plane RYR1355 and made his way to the team hotel of his new club.
Just an hour earlier, he had finished the first and only test match in the training camp in La Nucia against FC Lugano and celebrated a 2-1 win. Marius Bülter in the first half and Linton Maina in the second half scored the two goals for FC, who had recently remained winless in six league games in a row. A victory that was certainly important for players and coaches alike.
Especially since Head coach Lukas Kwasniok afterwards openly stated that he had not been satisfied with his players’ training performance until the test match. “I’m always pretty honest,” Kwasniok began his conclusion after the 2-1 win against. “The first two or three days were such that I had the feeling: We had to step up our game. We worked hard, but there was a little bit missing.” And further: “You can do your job or you can do it with dedication. I think we would do well to do that from day one.”
On Sunday evening he gave his players a long speech and called for more effort. He got this on Monday against Lugano, and the players in turn rewarded themselves with a good feeling. It was fitting that Kwasniok was able to talk about the first winter newcomer afterwards and confirm that he would be arriving that evening.