Since Steffen Baumgart has been in charge at 1. FC Köln, Anthony Modeste has been unrecognizable. The Frenchman experiences his third spring on the Rhine, hits like on an assembly line and lets the Effzeh fans dream of the European Cup. Problem: The upswing of the veteran has not remained hidden from other clubs. One of them is said to have officially requested a transfer.
Before the season, Anthony Modeste was at best given a joker role at 1. FC Köln. The attacker’s performances had previously been too weak – both with the Bundesliga club and on loan in France at AS Saint-Étienne.
However, the new coach Steffen Baumgart didn’t want to write off the experienced assault tank too quickly and gave him a fair chance in the pre-season, which Modeste promptly took advantage of. Today, around six months later, the former U21 international is (again) one of the top scorers in the Bundesliga. Twelve hits have been recorded there so far.
1. FC Köln has received a request from the Scheich-Klub
According to information from the industry portal “transfer market“Modeste’s performances not only caused enthusiasm in Germany. According to this, a report from Saudi Arabia, where the sports newspaper “Arriyadiyah” wrote about the interest of the AFC Champions League winner Al-Hilal in Cologne, is said to be true correspond.
The club is said to have made a request that was presumably extremely attractive financially. Modeste is the player of choice for Al-Hilal, who want to strengthen their squad for February’s FIFA Club World Cup.
It is not known how those responsible for Effzeh reacted to the request, but saying goodbye in January is extremely unlikely. The modest working paper in Cologne is still valid until June 30, 2023, and its importance in sport is higher than it has been for five years.
In addition, the fan favorite, who is strong in the air, may have learned from his last “exotic” adventure: after his brief spell in China at Tianjin Tianhai, it took him years to get going again. Only since Baumgart has been there has the veteran rediscovered his nose for goals. It’s hard to imagine that he’d prefer quick money for the second time after 2017.
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