The Köln Sentinel
Transfer targets30 Aug 2027
Köln bid $38.0M for Assan Ouédraogo
The offer went to RB Leipzig this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Market30 Aug 2027
Luca Waldschmidt hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Köln can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout30 Aug 2027
Sebastian Sebulonsen: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Köln have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match28 Aug 2027
7 matches without a win for Köln
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Köln are no longer polite ones.
Transfer targets30 Aug 2027
Fortuna Düsseldorf tell Köln: Cedric Itten is not for sale
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Market30 Aug 2027
Köln turn down Hertha BSC for Florian Kainz
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Köln
Kaishu Sano was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom30 Aug 2027
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Köln
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Market30 Aug 2027
Benjamin Schmidt steps up from the Köln academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Benjamin Schmidt has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Market Köln promote Peter Engel from within
- Boardroom A promise the Köln board did not keep
- The dugout Saïd El Mala has become a man the manager trusts