Another Extension with Emerging Talent: Wimmer Will Stick Around

“I remain a Billy Goat and look forward to many more successful years with the Effzeh!”

Last week it was Yannick Gerhardt, now managing director Jörg Schmadtke has extended the contract of another emerging young talent, coming to terms with center back Kevin Wimmer to keep him in Köln into 2019.

The young Austrian center back’s value has skyrocketed as of late, stepping into a regular starter’s role in the wake of Bruno Nascimento’s knee injury. Wimmer instantly showed he had more to offer than a stop-gap solution, assisting on two goals in his season debut against Engergie Cottbus and becoming a stalwart figure in the stingiest defense in the league, with only eight goals scored against the Effzeh in his 13 matches.

So now the 21-year-old who was starting to draw attention from well-heeled suitors has agreed to stay in Köln a while to be part of what’s being built.

“We believe, that his development will continue and are therefore happy we can offer Kevin Wimmer a long-term perspective here,” said Schmadtke about Wimmer’s deal.

As for Wimmer, the extended playing time, his emergence as a key player in the defense, and the club’s prospects going forward all combined to make the deal an easy one to sign.

“I feel comfortable with 1. FC Köln and didn’t need to think very long about whether I wanted to continue to be a part of this great team,” said Wimmer after the extension was announced. ” This contact extension shows me that those in charge at the FC have great confidence in me. I’d like to return that with good performance.”

And now Effzeh fans can look forward to those performances for a good many years to come.