After the dismissal of Steffen Baumgart and the transfer ban, the door to the professionals of 1. FC Cologne is open again for Justin Diehl. Nevertheless, a change is still on the cards.

Actually, Justin Diehl was supposed to spend his time at 1. FC Köln in the U21 and not get a chance with the professionals as long as he didn’t sign a professional contract – at least that was Steffen Baumgart’s plan. But now a lot has changed.

On the one hand, Baumgart is gone – also because nothing worked out offensively for “Effzeh” in the first half of the season. In 16 games, Cologne scored only ten times. By comparison, Diehl, who took on the role in the U21s and performed convincingly, scored twelve goals and provided nine assists in 19 Regionalliga games alone. On the other hand, the transfer ban for Cologne was confirmed for two periods, so the club will not be allowed to register new players until January 1, 2025.

This means that the club is all the more dependent on its own youth – and so far, no one has stood out like 19-year-old Diehl. Accordingly, interim coach André Pawlak decided to bring the striker in for the start of training with Jaka Cuber Potocnik (18) – the attacker whose transfer led to the transfer ban.

Stuttgart hope for Diehl signing

It is quite possible that Diehl will finally make his third Bundesliga appearance for Stuttgart. The striker already made two substitute appearances last season. However, the rumors about a departure do not stop.

As reported by “kicker”, VfB Stuttgart is intensifying its efforts to sign Diehl. According to the report, the German U-national player with Ghanaian roots is not averse to making the move to Stuttgart.

A decisive advantage for the Swabians in the negotiations could be the chairman of the board, Alexander Wehrle. Before returning to Stuttgart in March 2022, the 48-year-old had worked as a managing director in Cologne for nine years and knows Diehl and his family accordingly. It remains to be seen which path the Cologne-born Diehl chooses…