A lot of good news recently from the perspective of 1. FC Köln. Key players remain, despite the transfer ban. However, one duo has now been sent off.

Benno Schmitz and Faride Alidou are leaving second division club 1. FC Köln this summer. The club announced the news on Sunday, June 30. Schmitz is a right-back, Alidou will be deployed on the attacking wings.

Schmitz has been a Cologne player since his move from RB Leipzig in 2018. His start in an FC shirt was promising from Cologne’s perspective: Schmitz made 15 appearances in Bundesliga 2 and played his part in the club’s direct promotion back to the Bundesliga.

Two mixed years followed for the Munich-born player. It was Friedhelm Funkel who put his faith in Schmitz in the difficult final phase of the 2020/21 season and managed to keep the club out of the relegation play-off against Holstein Kiel.

However, Schmitz then played his way into the team under new coach Steffen Baumgart. Last season, however, was a mixed bag. The “Kölsche Cafu” only made 13 appearances in the starting eleven. In total, Schmitz played 142 games for Cologne.

Cologne wrote to Alidou: “Your two goals in the derby against Gladbach will remain unforgotten.” In March 2024, Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln drew 3:3. Double goal scorer: Faride Alidou.

It was the culmination of a mixed time at 1. FC Köln, which has now come to an end with the end of his loan and his return to Eintracht Frankfurt. The 22-year-old left winger ended up appearing in 26 Bundesliga matches for Cologne, but only started 14 times. He scored a total of four goals.

Another attacking player, on the other hand, recently announced that he would be staying with Cologne: Luca Waldschmidt. “Since my first day at FC, my identification and connection with the club and the city has been huge. Going into the 2nd Bundesliga with FC now is a conscious decision. I want to be successful with FC so that the path leads back to where the club and its outstanding fans belong – namely the Bundesliga. I will give 111 percent to achieve this,” said the striker, who has joined from VfL Wolfsburg.