With this transfer, ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen is making people sit up and take notice: Those responsible have signed Noel Futkeu. He made his professional debut with RWE

ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen have signed Noel Futkeu. The Essen Premier League club made the announcement on Wednesday lunchtime. The native of Essen with Cameroonian roots had played for the U21s of 1. FC Köln in the regional league last season, but had been club-less since May.

Futkeu hails from ETB’s youth team before joining big city rivals Rot-Weiss Essen in January 2019. Under Christian Titz, the midfielder then even made his debut in the Bergeborbeck first team in the Regionalliga West. In January 2021, he ultimately moved to Cologne for a transfer fee. Now the return to Essen.

“I’m playing in the Oberliga now, but they say that one step back can sometimes mean two steps forward,” Fukteu summarised in the ETB press release. The contact came about through his former coach Damian Apfeld. “I am back in my environment here and for me there was not much to think about. I see the commitment at ETB as a great opportunity and I’m happy to be back here.” He hopes to gain plenty of match practice in the coming season. “I still know a few boys from before and of course I also hope that we play a good season as a team. Those are the most important things for me for now.”

Futkeu can look back on a total of 23 appearances in the Regionalliga West. He scored his only goal for Cologne last season against RWE, of all teams. He was also surprisingly in the starting line-up in RWE’s first-round DFN Cup match against Arminia Bielefeld.

Accordingly, Apfeld is happy that he was able to lure Futkeu to the Uhlenkrug: “I know his abilities and he fits perfectly into our requirement profile, as we were looking for a fast, young and developable player for the flank. He has a lot of potential and we want to bring him forward. It’s great that he has returned to ETB. “