West Regionalligisten Fortuna Köln and SV Lippstadt have each signed young players to senior contracts.
The season in the Regionalliga West comes to an end next weekend. Even before the conclusion, the squad planning of the participants is in full swing – some clubs already have the majority of players for the coming season together.
In addition to new external players, many clubs are strengthening their squads with players from their own youth teams – such as SC Fortuna Köln and SV Lippstadt. On Thursday, both regional league clubs announced that they had given contracts to talented young players for the senior team.
Fortunen are moving Waiss Ezami up permanently to the Regionalliga team in the summer. The 19-year-old brings senior experience with him, as he already played for Cologne in the fifth-class U23. There, the midfielder scored two goals in five appearances, and scored nine goals in eleven games for the senior team. During the winter break, Ezami already had a taste of professional life in two test matches – and obviously convinced.
“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity I’m getting here with the professionals and I’d like to thank the club for the trust they’ve placed in me,” said the German-Afghan player at the signing ceremony.
SV Lippstadt: Two talents receive senior contracts
In Lippstadt, Phil Mehn and Benjamin Aust have now also been promoted on paper. The two 19-year-olds are already part of the regional league team in the current season. Goalkeeper Aust celebrated his debut in the league in last weekend’s 1:2 defeat against SV Straelen, standing between the posts from the start.
Central midfielder Mehn has made two short appearances for the SVL so far. In the first half of the season, he was substituted shortly before the end of each game, while in the first round of the Westfalenpokal he was allowed on the field for more than 25 minutes.
“We already included both of them in the squad last summer with a view to the future and are now getting two players for our team who are fresh out of the U19s, but at the same time already know the processes and requirements here,” says sports director Dirk Brökelmann. “Once again, these two are good examples of the high level of permeability of our U19s into the first team. “