This is how it works with the loan players Katterbach, Obuz and Castrop
1. FC Köln has loaned three homegrown players to the competition for a period of time. 24RHEIN with an update on the players Castrop, Katterbach and Obuz.
Cologne – The squad of 1. FC Köln has a total of 28 players in the 2022/23 season and is therefore full to the brim. With this large number of professionals, it was inevitable that one or the other had to look around to get more match practice. The all quite young homegrown talents Noah Katterbach, Marvin Obuz and Jens Castrop did exactly that. 24RHEIN says how the youngsters present themselves to their new employers.
1. FC Cologne: Noah Katterbach at FC Basel
Katterbach was one of the first players who, under the leadership of Steffen Baumgart, had to cut back a lot in terms of playing times. The left-back decided to join FC Basel during the winter break last season. In 2021/22 he played in 17 competitive games with the Swiss first division club and even made his debut in the UEFA Europa Conference League. In the current year, the ex-Cologne player, whose loan contract in Basel runs until December 31, 2022, has only played three out of seven parties in the league. On the eighth day of the match and in the second round of the cup, his teams’ last two games to date, he was on the pitch for the full distance.
Noah Katterbach – performance data & information (status: 26.9.22)
► Date of Birth: April 13, 2001
► Position: left-back
► at FC Basel since: January 18, 2022
► borrowed until: December 31, 2022
► Purchase option: Yes, with a buyback option
► Performance data Superliga 2021/22: 15 games (2 goals, 1 assist), including 11 starting eleven times
► Performance data Conference League 2021/22: 2 games (no goal involvement), including 1 starting eleven
► Performance data Superliga 2022/23: 3 games (no goal involvement), including 3 times starting eleven
► Performance data Swiss Cup 2022/23: 2 games (no goal involvement), including 2 times starting eleven
► Performance data Conference League 2022/23: 5 games (no goal involvement), including 3 times starting eleven
Things are also going well in the national team: he came on for a quarter of an hour in the friendly against France (September 23, 2022) in the German U21 team’s game. Loan club Basel also has a purchase option for the defender, which is said to be around 1.5 million euros. Whether Katterbach will be back on the mat at Geißbockheim at the turn of the year or whether it will stay in Switzerland is still open.
1. FC Köln: Jens Castrop on loan to 1. FC Nürnberg
The second player in the league who had sought a temporary change of scenery was Castrop. The midfielder regularly trained with the pros under Baumgart, but the leap into the Bundesliga squad came a little too early. Like Katterbach, Castrop initially embarked on a new path at the beginning of the year. At the second division club 1. FC Nürnberg he is therefore given the opportunity to develop further at a high level. In his early days in the south, the 19-year-old got his first opportunities on the pitch in both the second and second teams of FCN. In total, it was actually only 53 minutes in the 2nd Bundesliga.
Jens Castrop – performance data & information (status: 26.9.22)
► Date of Birth: July 29, 2003
► Position: central midfield
► at 1. FC Nürnberg since: January 7, 2022
► borrowed until: June 30, 2023
► Purchase option: Yes, with a buyback option
► Performance data 2nd Bundesliga 2021/22: 5 games (no goal involvement), no starting XI use
► Performance data Regionalliga Bayern 2021/22: 7 games (1 goal), including 7 starting XIs
► Performance data 2nd Bundesliga 2022/23: 8th Games (1 goal), including 6 starting XIs
► Performance data DFB Cup 2022/23: 1 game (no goal involvement), including 1 starting eleven
Things are going much better now: Castrop has already played eight games in league two in 2022/23 and scored his first competitive goal for the pros on matchday 7 against Eintracht Braunschweig (September 2, 2022). Coach Robert Klauß congratulated his protégé: “I’m happy for him with the goal, it was a step forward for him today.”
Castrop still has a little time to assert himself in the 2nd Bundesliga – at least on paper his return to 1. FC Köln is planned for the start of the 2023/24 season.
1. FC Cologne: Marvin Obuz at Holstein Kiel
Rough diamond number three ended up in the far north: Marvin Obuz. Former FC players Salih Özcan, Niklas Hauptmann and Yann Aurel Bisseck have already chosen second division club Holstein Kiel in the past to take their sport to the next level. At the beginning of the 2022/23 season, it was time for Obuz. The left winger, who had shown strong performances in Cologne’s regional league team, saw this loan as an opportunity to establish himself in the professional business. However, it was to take until September 9, 2022 before he made his first short appearance in the 2nd Bundesliga against Hamburger SV. On the following matchday in Bielefeld, it is again only enough for one use in the final phase.
Marvin Obuz – performance data & information (status: 26.9.22)
► Date of Birth: January 25, 2002
► Position: left winger
► at Holstein Kiel since: July 1, 2022
► borrowed until: June 30, 2023
► Purchase option: no information
► Performance data 2nd Bundesliga 2022/23: 2 games (no goal participation), no starting eleven use
► Performance data DFB Cup 2022/23: 1 games (no goal involvement), including 1 starting eleven
► Performance data Regionalliga North 2022/23: 3 games (1 goal), including 3 times starting XI
The last few weeks could have been groundbreaking for the 20-year-old: after all, he was on the pitch in two consecutive professional games. Like Castrop, Obuz is still finding himself in the professional arena. At least he still has time until next summer to stir up the 2nd Bundesliga. (md) Fair and independent information about what is happening in Germany and NRW – subscribe to our free 24RHEIN newsletter here.