1. FC Cologne
Could Kwasniok also have moved to this club?
November 28, 2025 – 7:34 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Two Bundesliga newcomers, Lukas Kwasniok and Horst Steffen, meet each other. Before moving to Effzeh, Kwasniok was an issue at Bremen.
The 1. FC Cologne got his dream coach in Lukas Kwasniok and got off to a strong start to the season with the 44-year-old. Horst Steffen, on the other hand, initially had problems at Werder Bremen. But the Green-Whites are now one point and one place in the table ahead of FC.
Last summer, the choice of coach could have possibly gone the other way. FC and Werder were both looking for new coaches, and both Kwasniok and Steffen were traded to Cologne and Bremen. It was not possible to finally confirm which discussions actually took place. But the duo are said to have received offers from several clubs.
In the end, Kwasniok moved from Paderborn to Cologne, succeeding Gerhard Struber and Friedhelm Funkel. Steffen, on the other hand, took over Werder after he lost relegation with Elversberg and Ole Werner left Bremen early after refusing to extend his contract.
It was “totally interesting,” said Kwasniok on Friday before the direct duel in Bremen against Steffen and Werder, that people were still being asked about it six months later “that your name appeared somewhere here or there.” Kwasniok didn’t deny Werder’s interest and just left it at one thing: “That’s in the past.”
Also because Kwasniok ultimately chose FC out of conviction and is clearly happy to be able to look after FC in the cathedral city. “I’m very, very happy here and have the feeling that I fit in very well here. I feel incredibly comfortable.” But, according to Kwasniok, that also applies to his counterpart on Saturday, whom he already knows from duels in the second league.
“The start of the season for Werder after the upheaval in the summer was not easy, but they have now stabilized and have a clear game idea,” said Kwasniok. “I have the feeling that SV Werder has made a perfect fit with Horst Steffen.” The direct duel between the two coaches has so far been a draw: two wins on both sides and one draw. Kwasniok wants to win on Saturday.
But to do this, the billy goats have to achieve something almost historic. Because FC has only been able to celebrate two wins in Bremen in the last 30 years. Most recently in the 2014/15 season thanks to a goal from Anthony Ujah, a 1-0 win. And then almost 30 years ago to the day, on December 1, 1995, there was a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Stefan Kohn. In addition, there were 13 defeats and five draws in Bremen. But Kwasniok and the FC don’t want to talk about the past anymore.