Despite a loss, survival secured
Wagner expects to continue at Köln – Sporting director Kessler says there’s “no time pressure”
Sporting director Thomas Kessler has pushed back against reports suggesting that interim coach René Wagner is on the verge of being named the permanent head coach of 1. FC Köln. “I feel no time pressure. We’ll calmly analyze everything after the season,” Kessler told DAZN following the team’s 3-1 defeat to 1. FC Heidenheim.
The Bundesliga club’s sporting director thus contradicted his own coach. “I assume we’ll know more starting tomorrow,” Wagner had said before the match. According to media reports, there is a strong likelihood that Wagner will remain on the touchline for the upcoming season. Under his guidance, the team has collected six points from six matches, securing their place in the Bundesliga. Few rumors have circulated about the coaching position at Köln recently, though one name that has been mentioned is Karlsruhe’s Christian Eichner.
Wagner, the former assistant coach, stepped in after the club parted ways with Lukas Kwasniok in March, taking charge until the end of the season. Even before the 3-1 loss to Heidenheim, Köln had already secured top-flight status thanks to defeats for FC St. Pauli and VfL Wolfsburg. “He handled it all very calmly and objectively,” Kessler praised. Nevertheless, he wants to first fully review the season at his own pace. “If we announce what happens next a week before the season starts, that’s fine too,” said the 40-year-old. “He’s still under contract with us.” That contract runs until the summer of 2028.
