Streli Mamba deal collapses, 1. FC Köln eye Robin Hack next
Die Geißböcke of 1. FC Köln had their summer prized acquisition all set to ink a deal. An unexpected result in the medical, however, meant that it fell through at the last minute. One of Germany's carnival clubs now scrambles to staff its attack.
| Streli Mamba (Paderborn) and Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig). | Photo: GEPA Pictures/Kevin Voigt/Jan Huebner/POOL via Picture Point |
Mamba piqued many a Bundesliga fan’s interest last year when he joined the newly promoted SCP from third-tier side Energie Cottbus. The lower division veteran arguably made the most of his mid-career opportunity in the limelight. He scored a memorable goal in his debut DFB-Pokal match with the club, adding five more goals over the course of 24 appearances in the ensuing season.
“[Streli] can at the moment neither train nor play,” Köln managing director Horst Heldt revealed, “We don’t want to take the risk of an extended period of inactivity and have, thus, decided against an obligation.” Heldt added that the news truly constituted a shame as both sides were literally pen strokes away from a deal.
The quest to re-build the Kölner attack continues with significantly less time on the clock. The inability to retain hometown striker Mark Uth (on loan from Schalke 04) means that Markus Gisdol & Co. have lost their most productive attacker from the second half of last season. Moreover, the club evidently gave up on any hope that one of their most prolific scorers in the second division could ever cut it in the top flight. Thirty-two-year-old Simon Terrode was sold to the HSV two weeks ago.
This leaves only veterans Jhon Cordoba and Anthony Modeste, both of whom have been struggling with injuries, as the only pure attackers left in the squad. Transfermarkt.de reports that the club currently aggressively pursues 1. FC Nürnberg forward Robin Hack. The 21-year-old Karlsruhe academy product scored ten goals last season, including a critical hat trick against Wiesbaden in the final stages of the FCN’s race to avoid relegation late in the season.