1. FC Köln: Youth work bears fruit, but elsewhere

1. FC Köln generates high transfer fees from the sale of homegrown players. But this isn't entirely positive.

At newly promoted Bundesliga club Cologne, the coffers are ringing constantly these days. Players are leaving the club for whom the club paid no transfer fee, but who bring in millions of euros. Cologne's homegrown talents are in high demand both nationally and internationally and are leaving the cathedral city in droves.

Goalkeeper Jonas Urbig made the first move in January, when he moved from the cathedral city to record champions Bayern Munich for around seven million euros. At the age of eight, the now 21-year-old joined the FC youth team, but after just eleven appearances for the first team, his time with the Billy Goats was already over.

At the same time, the departure of Tim Lemperle (23, with the club since 2017) to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim was initiated. However, because the striker's contract expired in the summer and he declined an extension, he moved to the Kraichgau region on a free transfer. Mathias Olesen (24, with the club since 2018) also left Cologne on a free transfer after the end of the season, joining Fürth.

The two most recent departures of Cologne's homegrown players were considerably more lucrative. Max Finkgräfe (21, with the club since 2021) moved to RB Leipzig for four million euros, and Damion Downs (21, with the club since 2021) moved to English second division club Southampton for around eight million euros.

From a purely financial perspective, the transfers of Urbig, Finkgräfe, and Downs can at least be considered a success for the newly promoted club. Almost €20 million for players who had at least completed the final years of their training in the FC youth system were correspondingly inexpensive. When you add in Florian Wirtz, whose record transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool also earned the club a share of the profit, it was a very good summer for Cologne's finances.

However, the homegrown players weren't let go due to financial constraints, but because they expressed their desire to leave the club. "After open and transparent discussions, Max clearly signaled to us that he does not wish to extend his contract with 1. FC Köln," said sporting director Thomas Kessler regarding Finkgräfe's departure.

Downs also decided against a contract extension offer from Cologne, even though he was presented with "a very attractive prospect at 1. FC Köln, both from a sporting and financial perspective," Kessler said. Lemperle and Urbig also left the club of their own accord, despite the club's positive sporting performance, which culminated in their return to the Bundesliga in the summer. Thus, 1. FC Köln is able to develop talented players into professionals like few other clubs, but also has great difficulty offering these players a prospect that will keep them at the club.

Despite the numerous departures of homegrown talent, Cologne are not entering the upcoming Bundesliga season without a whole roster of players from their own youth system. In addition to the now 23-year-old Jan Thielmann (with the club since 2017), the current squad includes other young players from the youth system, including returning players Said and Malek El Mala, Florian Dietz, and Julian Pauli, who are looking to make a name for themselves.

And from the U19 team, which just won the German A-Youth Championship in May, more talents are pushing their way up. Even though Justin von der Hitz, one of the club's brightest young prospects, transferred to 1. FC Nuremberg in the summer, the 18-year-old also decided against staying in Cologne.

Sporting director Kessler now faces the challenge of replacing the departing players. With Isak Johannesson (Fortuna Düsseldorf) and Ragnar Ache (1. FC Kaiserslautern), who together cost around ten million euros, two seasoned second-division players have come to the cathedral city. Experienced Rob-Robert Zieler (36), himself a former Cologne player, has been signed in goal. Jakub Kaminski (VfL Wolfsburg) and Tom Krauß (1. FSV Mainz 05) have also been brought in on loan.

Cologne's only remaining weakness is in defense. "Providing reinforcements in defense – that's our next big task," explains Kessler. In this area, it's "important that the coach has the team together to rehearse processes." However, they don't want to rush into anything: "The quickest shot isn't always the best." And perhaps the reinforcement they're looking for can be found among their own young talent.

Our sources:

• Homepage of 1. FC Köln
• Transfermarkt.de

• WDR
• 1. FC Cologne
• Bundesliga
• football