Football Season Guide

FC Koln's decision to change their coach just before the end of last season proved to be the right decision as a late surge in form helped them secure their survival through the relegation playoffs. Koln decided not to reward the late escape engineered by Friedhelm Funkel with a permanent contract and have instead appointed Steffen Baumgart to lead them this season. They have struggled to spend in the transfer window so far, relying on free transfers. They have managed to bring in a couple of good players though, the biggest of them being Mark Uth, who will be expected to lead the line alongside Ondrej Duda, while Dejan Ljubicic and Timo Hubers will provide options in the midfield and defense. There have been some key departures though with Sebastiaan Bornauw sold to Wolfsburg while Ismail Jakobs has also left the club after being signed by Monaco. They will need more investment ahead of the new season, especially in the defense where they struggled last season even with Bornauw's presence. Koln were one of the worst teams in the Bundesliga in all areas of the pitch, having the second worst defense and home record while also managing to score just 34 goals, the third worst record in the league. While Uth's signing may lead to improvement in the attack, it is further back on the pitch where Koln will struggle unless they spend in the final weeks of the transfer window.