Before the start of the second half of the season
©IMAGO
Before the start of the second half of the season, 1. FC Köln improved their central defense and presented Joël Schmied as their second winter signing. The 26-year-old comes to the Domstädters from the Swiss first division club FC Sion – this was preceded by tough transfer poker. His contract is dated until 2029.
According to “Bild”, the sum to be paid is 2.5 million euros – including bonuses. The Swiss “Blick” is talking about around 3 million euros in the overall package. This does not fully meet the demands of Sion’s President Christian Constantin, who did not want to let Schmied go for less than 3 million euros. In the meantime, he had emphasized that he would “under no circumstances” give up the defense attorney under the financial conditions under discussion. Ultimately, the clubs came to a common denominator.
“Joël fits our requirements profile very well with his athletic and technical-tactical skills. At FC Sion he also led the way on and off the field as a captain and a very good communicator. We are pleased that Joël will bring all this to FC training and games from now on and will take the competition in this position to another level,” said FC managing director Christian Keller.
Schmied emphasized: “The move to FC is pure motivation for me. I am very happy that, after my successful time at FC Sion, I can now take my next career step in Cologne, with this great, traditional club. Those responsible gave me a very good feeling right from the start in the discussions and fought for my commitment. I thought that was outstanding and from now on I will do everything I can to repay the trust and belief in my sporting abilities on the pitch. I’m looking forward to the first sessions with the team and can’t wait to play with the billy goat on my chest for the first time.”
Cologne personnel concerns in defense
Schmied has been active for Sion since 2021, the third season in a row as a regular. Last season he was an important pillar for the direct return to the Super League. In 34 games in the Challenge League, the defender contributed five goals and three assists. The performances in the Swiss upper house were also good. In the December update, Schmied doubled its market value to 2 million euros.
FC starts the second half of the 2nd league against HSV on Saturday (8:30 p.m.). The Cologne team is plagued by personnel concerns because two central defenders, Julian Pauli and Luca Kilian, are out and Nikola Soldo does not play a role in the first team. Therefore, only captain Timo Hübers and Dominique Heintz were available for the defense center; Eric Martel could help out in this position. With Schmied the situation is now easing.
