1. FC Cologne
Transfers with Manchester and Bayern: FC’s new path
02/03/2026 – 5:17 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
1. FC Köln has loaned out a top talent from FC Bayern Munich, Felipe Chávez. What the transfer means for the billy goats.
With the transfer of Felipe Chávez 1. FC Cologne Squad planning for the current Bundesliga season has been completed. After the 20-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey from Manchester City, the Billy Goats once again chose the 18-year-old midfielder from FC Bayern Munich, an inexperienced but sought-after talent from a top international club.
A look at the Cologne squad shows that the two personnel decisions in January were an anticipation of the next season. Sports director Thomas Kessler wants to continue to rebuild the team and is focusing on new markets and a new appeal for the billy goats in Europe. What the transfers mean.
FC has been rebuilding the squad under Kessler since last summer. The goal: younger players who can maintain a high level of intensity but also have playful qualities. FC was able to achieve significant improvements physically and in terms of running with the transfers in the summer of 2025. In terms of football, the squad fell short of expectations, especially in the headquarters – both defensively and offensively.
Simpson-Pusey in central defense and Chávez in central midfield bring playful elements that hardly any other player in the squad has. If they establish themselves at FC, the billy goats want to exercise the purchase options for both players in the summer in order to bind the duo long-term.
With the transfers, FC is also anticipating plans for the summer of 2026, when numerous players will leave the club. The contracts of three central defenders alone (Heintz, Hübers, Kilian) are expiring. In addition, Eric Martel and Florian Kainz’s contracts in midfield are expiring.
Otherwise, the Chávez signing in particular is a signal to other players such as Denis Huseinbasic and Luca Waldschmidt, from whom FC had expected much more in recent months. If these professionals do not develop positively in the coming weeks, they should leave the club in the summer.
With the signing of two talents from Manchester City and Bayern Munich, FC has also set an example internationally. The Billy Goats are once again an attractive address for top talents who want to take important steps in their development and look for a springboard for their career. Since this season, FC has had a lot of talent who are striving for exactly that.
Eric Martel as the former captain of the German U21 national team, Rav van den Berg as the current captain of the Dutch U21, Said El Mala as the shooting star of the German U21 with World Cup chances, plus Simpson-Pusey and Chávez: 1. FC Köln is a brand again, also because its own youngsters are winning titles, numerous talents have been able to debut with the professionals and home-grown players like Florian Wirtz and Jonas Urbig are causing an international sensation.
The commitments of Simpson-Pusey and Chávez are no guarantee of sporting success. With them, 1. FC Cologne has sent a signal that the billy goats are deviating from their old path. This was limited to a few markets, was hardly interesting for top talents and led to the second league in terms of play and finance. Now the FC is daring to take a different path. If at the end of the season there was relegation and a breakthrough for the top talents, FC would have achieved great success on several levels.
