1. FC Köln President: «We’d be foolish» to let Said El Mala go early

Jörn Stobbe, President of 1. FC Köln, has commented on the future of attacking player Said El Mala.

“We’d be utterly foolish to let such a fantastic player leave early,” Stobbe emphasized in the podcast L’Immo, stating that an departure for El Mala in the summer is by no means a done deal.

In recent months, it had become increasingly apparent that the 19-year-old was likely to leave FC at the end of the season. Brighton & Hove Albion, in particular, was reportedly luring El Mala with, among other things, a huge salary increase. However, Cologne rejected an alleged offer from the English club in the winter. While Brighton is apparently not letting go, Chelsea has also been increasingly mentioned as an interested party for El Mala, who has become one of the Bundesliga’s shooting stars this season.

“Of course, we can offer him an environment in which he can develop wonderfully,” Stobbe clarified, indicating that El Mala could also take his next steps in Cologne. The German U21 international is still under contract with the Domstädter until 2030. He only moved to FC from third-division side Viktoria Köln last summer. “He is a very young player, highly talented. Of course, we will make him an offer with our environment, not just financially – but also financially. He has a contract that runs for a very long time,” Stobbe continued.

1. FC Köln: Will Said El Mala be sold and loaned back?

Recently, the Express reported that a special transfer model could keep El Mala in Cologne for another year. According to this report, it is being discussed as a likely scenario that the super dribbler will be sold to the Premier League for a lot of money this summer, but then loaned back to Cologne for the upcoming season. This would allow El Mala to continue developing in a familiar environment and gain further valuable experience as an established player.

El Mala had a spectacular start to the season with some impressive performances. In November, he was even nominated for the first time by national coach Julian Nagelsmann for the German senior national team, but he has not yet made his international debut. Regarding a possible World Cup call-up, Nagelsmann had stressed that El Mala first needed to be a consistent starter at his club. The youngster has recently fulfilled this demand, starting in the last five Bundesliga games and scoring three goals.

Currently, El Mala is reportedly having potential offers from other clubs kept away from him so that he can fully focus on the season finale with FC. On Friday, Cologne could take a huge step towards staying in the league with a win against FC St. Pauli, who are currently in the relegation playoff spot (16th). Should El Mala and his teammates win in Hamburg, they would have an almost insurmountable eight-point lead over St. Pauli with four games left to play.

Said El Mala’s Professional Seasons So Far