Jaka Potocnik celebrates his comeback at Rot-Weiss Essen: A header goal!

Jaka Potocnik celebrates his comeback at Rot-Weiss Essen: A header goal!

Jaka Potocnik's journey at 1. FC Köln has taken an exciting turn recently. The 20-year-old striker is currently on loan at Rot-Weiss Essen, where he has the opportunity to gain more match practice and develop further. The transfer to the 3rd league was completed after Potocnik struggled with injuries and short appearances at FC last season. How come-on-fc.com reports, the situation was anything but easy for him.

After Potocnik made his first-team debut in 2024, appearances remained limited. The technical director of 1. FC Köln, Lukas Berg, emphasizes that regular playing time is essential for young talents. Potocnik himself expressed his desire for more playing time and felt most comfortable in discussions with Rot-Weiss Essen. This is certainly a step in the right direction as he has performed impressively at youth level, including a win in the U19 DFB Cup where he scored two goals.

Breakthrough in Essen

At the weekend, Potocnik celebrated his first starting eleven appearance for RWE this season. In a thrilling game against Ingolstadt, he made it 1-0 with a header after a precise cross from Ahmet Arslan. This achievement meant a lot to him, especially after the challenges of the last few months. RWE coach Uwe Koschinat sees great potential in Potocnik, but at the same time demands that he constantly demonstrate his fitness and performance in order to prevail in the competition.

Potocnik finally feels like he has arrived in Essen and will have the opportunity to show himself in the coming weeks. There is also a European Championship qualifying game for the Slovenian U21s against the Netherlands to further increase confidence in his abilities. The pressure to develop and be successful is high, but the young talent accepts the challenge.

A look at the statistics

For those interested in the statistics behind Potocnik's achievements, here are some impressive numbers:

• U19: 35 Spiele, 23 Tore
• U21: 15 Spiele, 15 Tore
• Profidebüt: September 2024 gegen den Karlsruher SC

His goal is clear: “To score as many goals as possible.” With this ambition and the support of Rot-Weiss Essen, Potocnik could become the key to its future successes. It will be interesting for 1. FC Köln to see how this talented player develops in the 3rd division and what opportunities this opens up for him in professional football.

The coming months promise to be exciting, and fans can look forward to Jaka Potocnik's progress - both at Rot-Weiss Essen and in his future career. A talent to keep an eye on!