Potential is a hell of a drug. Seriously, he can't be as bad as we think . I wonder how the traffic negotiated this contract with FC Koln?
Yeah, I'm pretty sure his contract with Traffic is up at the end of 2012, unless a team buys his rights from Traffic. I think the U-23 (reserve) level will be good for Gale to get back on his feet and a good opportunity for Koln to evaluate him. If he doesn't impress come January, it'll be back to square one again.
He is probably cover/depth for the CBs. He will play with the U-23 and be available for injuries and cards.
Seems like what happens next is all up to how well or not Gale is able to seize his chance. Here's hoping he works extra hard on and off the field and keeps his head in the right place.
He's not a finished product. Teams know that. He has a lot of things going in his favor. Size. Strength. Nimble feet. Skill. He has a higher upside than any of our CB prospects, but needs a lot of work to reach his ceiling. If Koln can help him get there, they might have something really valuable on their hands. If not, the loss will be minimal.
Anyone know about the team and management atmosphere at Koln? In addition to needing to develop as a footballer, it would appear that Gale will need a good support network to help him mature as a professional. Hopefully that is in place at Koln, otherwise this could be a pretty bad move for him.
Cologne is probably the worst place in that regard in Germany. Arguably even more difficult than Bayern.
Ah... wonderful. Do you think Solbakken's hiring will change anything? Thought it was a pretty bold remove to take the Captain's armband away from Poldi in the preseason.
I don't think Solbakken will stay in charge until winter. Many fans already hate him before the first game.
So worse than Bayern... hmmm... Lascho, do you think it would help for Gale to host a barbeque for the team?
Both good ideas, guys, but I think we should refresh the thread. Question is, has he actually signed yet? That's usually our threshold for new threads that reference club moves...
If I were him, I wouldn't want to be regarded as anybodies friend too soon. Times change very fast at Cologne, and you don't want to be part of any group.
What I am finding in the German press, which isn't much, says it is a trial that will start on Monday. http://www.fussballtransfers.com/bundesliga/transfermarkt/koln-begrusst-testspieler_21882 (the quotes are from the original Swedish article)
There are usually other activities, like bar-hopping with Novakovic. Always nice stories. You will get lots of stories if he ends up there; some true, some just made up. Cologne is a media city, and "der FC" has an interesting way to deal with it; the infamous tabloid Express has a seat in FC's supervisory board, to get everything first hand, and make sure it's never quiet at the Geißbockheim (the club home).
It's really funny. They even provided a live ticker from the former coach's garden when he was negotiating an extension of his contract. "18:23 A white Volkswagen stops." "18:24 It's a woman with shopping bags. Seems to be the neighbor." "18:27 Mrs. Daum leaves the house, and offers some chocolate to the journalists. It's tasty." Well, that was cokehead Christoph Daum, who also held press conferences at the hospital in a bathrobe, and Agbossoumonde would have to make himself a bit more popular to achieve that status. But that's the way it is at the FC.