FC Köln digs deep into their pockets: Van den Berg for 10 million!

FC Köln digs deep into their pockets: Van den Berg for 10 million!

A real bang in the squad planning of 1. FC Köln: The club has signed another newcomer, Rav van den Berg. He is the tenth player to join FC this summer. Loud come-on-fc.com The club is investing more than 20 million euros in new players this year. This sum is historically high, especially after last season was marked by a transfer ban with no new signings.

Rav van den Berg, a talented central defender, is moving from Middlesbrough FC to Cologne. There are different reports about the transfer fee: While German media speak of 8 to 10 million euros, English sources report up to 11 million pounds (around 12 million euros). This commitment is one of the three most expensive in the club's history. In the top spots are record transfer Jhon Cordoba, who was signed in 2017 for around 17 million euros, and Lukas Podolski, who came to the Rhineland in 2009 for 10 million euros.

Van den Berg's contract and expectations

Van den Berg is only 21 years old and has a solid career. He was born on July 7, 2004 in Zwolle, Netherlands and came through PEC Zwolle's academy, where he made his Eredivisie debut at the age of 16. In his last season at Middlesbrough he was not only voted player of the season, but also young player of the year - an award that impressively documents his development fc.de reported. The young Dutchman is convinced that he made the right decision with the “Billygoats” and feels wanted by the club from the start.

Coach Lukas Kwasniok and sports director Thomas Kessler worked together to ensure that Van den Berg was convinced to become part of the FC family. According to his own statements, he is looking forward to playing in front of the enthusiastic FC fans and giving everything for his new team.

Financial situation and future plans

With the investments in this transfer window, FC has already spent more in the current season than in the last four seasons combined. The goal for the upcoming challenges is clear: to minimize the risk of relegation. Compared to the competition in the Bundesliga, the squad value leads them to 15th place, over 40 million euros behind Union Berlin, who are in 14th place. It is possible that this value could increase further, as according to reports the signing of Derrick Köhn for an additional 5 million euros is also under discussion in order to further invest in the depth of the team.

FC Cologne's ambitious plans underline the clear will to assert themselves in the Bundesliga and to field a strong team in the coming years. As long as the team remains on the rise, football in Cologne could have an exciting future. Observers are curious to see how the new players, especially Van den Berg, will integrate into the team and what role they will play on the pitch.

The decision for Rav van den Berg shows that FC Köln has a good hand in squad planning and is ready to assert itself on the transfer market, after previous seasons were characterized by more restraint, as can be seen particularly in the transfer situation last year.