Official: Köln confirm departures of Meré and Katterbach
FC Köln confirmed the departures of two more defenders on Tuesday evening.
The Geißböcke defensive ranks get thinner still with Jorge Meré and Noah Katterbach out.
Two outgoing transfers involving 1. FC Köln are now confirmed. Center halve Jorge Meré's transfer to CF America in the Mexican Liga MX was finalized after the 24-year-old flew across the pond for his medical over the weekend. Meré leaves Germany after four and a half seasons playing for the cathedral city club. He made 96 appearances for the Effzeh in both the German top division and the 2. Bundesliga since a €7 million move from Sporting Gijon in 2017.
The Geißböcke defensive ranks get thinner still with Jorge Meré and Noah Katterbach out.
"Jorge is a player with great potential," acting sporting director Jörg Jakobs said in a statement confirming the Spaniard's departure, "Despite this, he did not get the playing time he desired amidst the competition for his position. His ambition is to be a regular starter and that's why we've talked about a move for sometime."
Meré made five starts under Steffen Baumgart's coaching regime this season. The last one came in the round eight loss to Hoffenheim.
"His decision to move to Mexico is understandable for us," Jakobs continued in the statement, "We thank Jorge for his commitment over the past four and a half years and wish him the best for the future."
According to local newspaper "Kölner Stadtanzeiger", the Westphalians net a transfer fee of approximately €900,000 for Mere's release. Perhaps more importantly, the Geißböcke will save some €3 million in salary due to the Spaniard through the end of his contract in 2023.
👋 @jorgemere_m4 verlässt den #effzeh und wechselt zu Club América nach Mexiko.
— 1. FC Köln (@fckoeln) January 18, 2022
Vielen Dank für deinen Einsatz in den vergangenen viereinhalb Jahren und in 96 Pflichtspielen!
¡Buena suerte en México, Jorge! 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/3Y1H0tCsqh
Another rumored departure involving a member of the Kölner defensive ranks was confirmed on Tuesday. Fullback Noah Katterbach is headed to FC Basel on loan until the end of the season. The 20-year-old, who has received several Germany U21 squad over the past year, played just 15 minutes under Baumgart.
"We are happy that we've found a solution for Noah with a loan to a top club in the Swiss league," Jakobs said with respect to Katterbach, "It will be important for Noah to earn playing time in order to continue his promising path in professional football."
Der #effzeh verleiht Noah Katterbach. Der Verteidiger wechselt mit sofortiger Wirkung zum FC Basel. 🤝
— 1. FC Köln (@fckoeln) January 18, 2022
Viel Erfolg in der Schweiz und alles Gute, Noah! https://t.co/ashWbV4nc4
The cathedral city club, knowing that many are curious as how they will restock in defense, also issued a statement saying that they were "intensively sifting through the transfer market in order to find players that fit our profile."