Marius Bülter, former FC Schalke player, is leaving TSG Hoffenheim and moving within the Bundesliga to newly promoted 1. FC Köln.
The transfer of former Schalke pro Marius Bülter within the Bundesliga from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to newly promoted 1. FC Köln is complete. We already reported on the upcoming transfer in recent days. The 32-year-old striker has signed a contract with Köln until 2027, as announced by the club. Neither club has disclosed the transfer details. According to media reports, the Cologne club is paying a transfer fee of around 1 to 1.5 million euros. Bülter’s contract in Hoffenheim was valid until 2026. The striker moved to TSG from FC Schalke 04 in the summer of 2023 for a transfer fee of three million euros and brings with him the experience of 146 Bundesliga games. In the 2021/22 season, he was part of the Schalke squad that celebrated promotion back to the Bundesliga. With ten goals and 13 assists, Bülter played a key role in the Royal Blues’ success. However, even the versatile attacking player, who repeatedly showed flashes of his talent in a weak Schalke team with eleven goals in the season, was unable to prevent the team’s immediate relegation in the 2022/23 season.
“Marius not only brings versatility and Bundesliga experience to the table, but also made it very clear in our talks with him that he is eager to take on the challenge at 1. FC Köln. We are convinced that he is an excellent fit for us, both on and off the pitch,” said Köln’s sporting director Thomas Kessler.
Bülter explains: “Right from the first inquiry, I thought this could be a good fit. The talks were very good – and of course I’ve played here a few times before, the FC and the stadium with its atmosphere are great. So the whole package was right for me. When I drove over the Rhine bridge on Wednesday evening, it was already special – I’m really looking forward to coming to Cologne.“
Even before the official announcement, FC coach Lukas Kwasniok had expressed his delight to the ‘Bild’ newspaper: ”Despite being 32, he’s interesting for us. That’s simply because he’s hungry. The smallest common denominator among us is hunger. Marius has only been a first division professional for five years. It’s something special for him to be able to play for FC in front of 50,000 fans.”
Bülter joins Ragnar Ache (1. FC Kaiserslautern), Isak Johannesson (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Sebastian Sebulonsen (Bröndby IF), Tom Krauß (Mainz 05), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96), and Jakub Kaminski (VfL Wolfsburg), the seventh external signing for the Rhineland club.