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Niko Kovač coached AS Monaco until the turn of the year
Photo: FRANCK FIFE / AFP
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Kovač before Bundesliga return?
Two and a half years after leaving FC Bayern Munich, Niko Kovač is about to return to the Bundesliga: the 50-year-old is to become the new coach of VfL Wolfsburg.
The "Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung" reported early on Thursday evening, citing the supervisory board of the Volkswagen club.
Accordingly, a decision was made in favor of Kovačs, the ex-professional could be officially presented this week as the successor to Florian Kohfeldt, from whom VfL had separated after a disappointing Bundesliga season.
Coach Kovač's greatest successes are taking part in the World Cup with the Croatian national team in 2014, winning the DFB Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018 and winning the league and cup double with FC Bayern Munich a year later.
Because there was repeated criticism of his work from circles in the team and also the club management, Kovač had to leave the German record champions early in November 2019.
Bayern won the Champions League that season under his previous assistant coach Hansi Flick.
Kovač himself took over the top club AS Monaco from the French league from July 2020 to January 2022.
Dortmund before transfer
double strike
According to information from "Bild", Borussia Dortmund is about to sign Cologne midfielder Salih Özcan.
As the newspaper reports, the 24-year-old Turkish international completed a medical check-up at the Bundesliga soccer club on Thursday.
After the departure of Axel Witsel, the Revierclub is looking for a replacement for the defensive midfield.
With strong performances, Özcan played a major role in the success of Cologne, who qualified for the Conference League as seventh in the table.
His contract in Cologne runs until 2023. According to reports, the fee is around ten million euros.
In addition to Özcan, goalkeeper Alexander Meyer should also be in front of the BVB signature.
The 31-year-old from Jahn Regensburg would take on the role of second man behind regular keeper Gregor Kobel.
Because Meyer's contract in Regensburg expires at the end of the season, he could switch for free.
After the departure of Marwin Hitz and Roman Bürki, there is a need for action at BVB in the goalkeeper position.
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Cologne makes Maina transfer official
Linton Maina is 1. FC Köln's first signing for the coming season.
The free winger from the second division club Hannover 96 signed a contract until 2025, as the Bundesliga club announced on Thursday.
The 22-year-old, who was born in Berlin, has played for Hanover since the U17s and at the same time progressed through the German junior national teams from the U16 to the U20.
“Linton is a viable player.
He had to fight for a year or two because he was lifted up very early on," said Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart the week before.
Maina, who has often been thrown back by injuries in recent years, should fight for a regular place on the left flank as a competitor of Florian Kainz.
cev/dpa