1. FC Köln is losing the battle for its greatest talent. Justin Diehl is about to make a free transfer to VfB Stuttgart. The deal hits FC hard.
Justin Diehl had already informed 1. FC Köln last summer that he did not want to extend his contract, which expires in 2024. Now the 19-year-old is apparently doing everything right. The attacker is said to have reached an agreement with VfB Stuttgart.
After Florian Wirtz, FC is once again losing the most promising top talent of a year to the competition before he could make a breakthrough with the billy goats. In Cologne people are also amazed at the way in which the upcoming transfer was able to leak out.
Anger over a rumored medical check
“Justin is a person in whom we have invested everything to convince him that FC is still the right path for him to take the next steps in professional football in the next few years,” said a pissed-off licensed player on Wednesday -Head, Thomas Kessler. “Unfortunately, the discussions to date have not resulted in us being able to reach an agreement with him. Then it is completely normal for a player whose contract is expiring to talk to other clubs.”
However, Kessler made it clear that it was not completely normal that Diehl was apparently able to complete a medical check at VfB Stuttgart without knowing about the billy goats. Not forbidden, but Kessler suggested bad style. “A player whose contract is expiring is allowed to talk to other clubs from January 1st and also sign a contract. A medical check is also important,” said Kessler, but added smugly: “You have to do it to see if this happened Justin Diehl’s stakeholders ask. And whether that’s the right thing to do, that we’re sitting here today not knowing that, you can also discuss with Justin or his stakeholders.”
The Diehl case is handled differently than Wirtz
Kessler’s words apparently also reflected his frustration at having lost the race for Diehl. Unlike Wirtz, the FC had tried to find its own player for several years, “had an incredible number of discussions” and ultimately hoped to convince the 19-year-old to extend his contract. “We would be very sorry if he left us, but it is the decision of the player and his stakeholders,” said Kessler.
Nevertheless, FC does not want to and cannot punish Diehl for his decision in the coming weeks. Last summer, Steffen Baumgart pushed the youngster into the U21s and left him out of the professional squad. In January, Baumgart’s successor Timo Schultz reversed this decision, pointing out that the billy goats could not miss any opportunities for the mission of staying in the league. Both Kessler and Schultz want to hold on to this despite the impending farewell.
Schultz confirms: Diehl remains in the squad
Diehl is still injured (torn muscle fiber), but after rehab he should remain part of the professionals. “We need every player who has the quality to keep us in the league. We subordinate everything to that,” confirmed Kessler. And Schultz added: “I am the football coach and I decide what happens on the pitch. As long as he is fit here, he trains and plays. He is a great boy, hard-working and brings enormous quality. That’s why we are planning him until the end fix it.” Even if Diehl were to move to VfB Stuttgart at the end of the season.