After two unlucky years at VfL Wolfsburg, Luca Waldschmidt makes another attempt. The 27-year-old striker joins 1. FC Köln on loan.

The Goats announced it on Tuesday after consistent transfer information emerged on Sunday. Accordingly, Waldschmidt will be loaned out for the upcoming season, and according to the ‘kicker’, Cologne should also have a purchase option.

With Waldschmidt, the FC is strengthening as expected on the offensive. The big question is whether Steffen Baumgart will succeed in putting the former German national player on track like Anthony Modeste, Florian Kainz or Davie Selke before him.

After two successful years at SC Freiburg (56 games, 17 goals), Waldschmidt moved to Benfica in the summer of 2020 for €15m, returning to the Bundesliga a year later. At VfL Wolfsburg, who transferred €12m anyway, he’s only made 37 appearances in the past two years and hasn’t played a major role, especially under Niko Kovac.

If Waldschmidt flourished in Cologne, Baumgart could undoubtedly be called a miraculous healer. But maybe those in charge just have a hunch for the players who, despite unfortunate decisions, still have great potential and need a healthy environment in which they can stabilize. Fingers crossed for success!