In Bundesliga scenes: This is why FC is taking time with this player

In the summer, Linton Maina and 1. FC Köln agreed to start the new season with an expiring contract. Now the car with wings is attracting the interest of the competition. How is the FC behaving?

1. FC Köln have work ahead of them: more than a dozen contracts expire in the summer of 2025. The big problem is that FC will have a big problem to extend the working papers, especially with Dejan Ljubicic, Tim Lemperle and Linton Maina. Austria recently rejected an offer, the Germany U21 international is currently not talking about his future at all – and Maina?

The player had explained to FC in the summer that he wanted “the pressure of the contract that was ending” (visit from Christian Keller) to focus on his performance first. After a completely disappointing 2023/24 Bundesliga season (just one goal and three assists after three goals and eight assists in 2022/23), Maina first wanted to get back on track to in terms of sports.

“Several Bundesliga clubs” are interested.

That seems to have been successful. Four goals and eight assists in the first 14 competitive games speak for themselves. Maina is one of FC’s winners so far under coach Gerhard Struber. It is no surprise that the 25-year-old is attracting interest from other clubs as his contract expires. Reported Monday skythat “several Bundesliga clubs” would be watching the player.

Of course, that’s not surprising: Maina can already look back on 167 Bundesliga games and the second division (49 scorer points), has already played internationally with FC and is considered a sprinter strong dribbler across both wings who can be a second striker. Under Steffen Baumgart and now also Struber, he was trained as a player with strong pressure so he should be a logical candidate for many first division teams.

The FC is still holding back

According to GEISSBLOG information, the FC is still calm. It was discussed with Maina that they wanted to wait for the first months of the season before they talk again. On the one hand, the player wants to see how FC develops in terms of sport after relegation and what his role will be under Struber. On the other hand, the club wants to check if Maina will be more effective again in the new game concept after he had almost no impact on the Köln game in the last Bundesliga season.

The 25-year-old’s current market value is three million euros. This makes Maina one of the ten most valuable players in the team. The Billy Goats are already looking for other options in his position and may want to strengthen themselves with another player in the winter. In addition, Said El Mala, a similar player, has already been signed by Viktoria Köln. Therefore, there is no pressure at the moment to join Cologne.