Said El Mala renews with Colonia after a summer of uncertainty

The name that has made the most headlines throughout the summer does not play for Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig... It is Said El Mala and he has starred in a true 'soap opera' that, in principle, already has a resolution: he has renewed with Cologne.

His absence from Germany's list for the 2026 World Cup generated a real schism in the country after establishing himself as one of the great revelations of the Bundesliga with 13 goals and four assists. A performance that no one could have expected when, a year before, he was on loan at Third Division club Viktoria Köln. "Said's future will come soon. But of course, he would have deserved it, which is why these conversations are difficult," Nagelsmann said.

He had no shortage of girlfriends. Leipzig was one of the first teams to show interest... but the strongest that came after his services was Borussia Dortmund. Ole Book had his name marked in red to occupy the left sector of Niko Kovac's attack. "We are not talking about players who are not from Borussia Dortmund," the sporting director of the Borussen team simply stated.

In Germany, however, negotiations have been telegraphed that, at the beginning of the week, allegedly ended up collapsing. As reported on Sky Sports, Colonia demanded 50 million to let El Mala leave. A figure that Borussia Dortmund was not willing to reach. To give us an idea, the most expensive sale in the history of Colonia was that of Modeste to Chinese football in 2019 for 29 million.

A few days later, the club announced the renewal of his contract for one more season - until 2031 - and gave him Podolski's number '10' for the next season. "Since I have been here, Colonia has given me very good feelings every day. It is incredibly fun to work with these teammates and coaching staff," he expressed.

El Mala, however, did not hide his intentions to 'fly' away from Colonia. "My first season in the Bundesliga here was very special. And, of course, then I thought about my future. I feel enormous confidence and great appreciation here. That's why I stay: I want to have a good season and I will give everything for that, also because I know what it means to wear the number 10."