Bilal El Khannouss entered VfB Stuttgart’s first home fixture of the new Bundesliga campaign with plenty to prove following an eventful eight months. The Moroccan international responded by producing one of the most complete performances of his Stuttgart career in Friday night’s 4-1 win over 1. FC Köln.
El Khannouss started in place of the injured Tiago Tomás as Sebastian Hoeneß’ side sought an immediate response to their 5-1 opening-day defeat at Bayern Munich. The 22-year-old did considerably more than simply deputize.
El Khannouss created Stuttgart’s first major opportunity of the evening with a superb ninth-minute cross that Josha Vagnoman somehow contrived to smash against the crossbar from point-blank range. After Stuttgart struck the woodwork for a second time through Dzenan Pejcinovic and continued to waste chances, the Moroccan finally took matters into his own hands.
Picking up Vagnoman’s pass some 30 metres from goal in the 39th minute, El Khannouss drove directly at the Köln defense, skipped past multiple opponents, nutmegged Luka Lochoshvili and finished via a deflection to hand the hosts their thoroughly deserved lead.
El Khannouss was also heavily involved in Stuttgart’s crucial second goal following Köln’s dangerous spell immediately after the restart. His excellent control on the left preceded a through ball for Maximilian Mittelstädt, who cut back for Grischa Prömel to make it 2-0 on the hour mark.
The strike effectively killed off Köln’s attempted comeback.
El Khannouss departed after 77 minutes having scored one goal and played an important role in setting up another. Three of his five crosses found their targets, he won 56 percent of his nine contested duels and reached a top speed of 34.2 km/h.
Those numbers provided statistical substance to a performance Hoeneß considered impressive both with and without possession.
El Khannouss’ Bundesliga career defined by dramatic form swings
The performance carries greater significance when placed against El Khannouss’ topsy-turvy first year in German football.
The Leicester City loanee made an immediate impression after arriving in Stuttgart on deadline day last summer. Following an early goal against St. Pauli, El Khannouss spoke enthusiastically about learning German, immersing himself in the local footballing culture and continuing his development in the Bundesliga.
El Khannouss continued to thrive through the autumn. By the time Get German Football News profiled Stuttgart’s Moroccan representative ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, the attacking midfielder had amassed six goals and four assists in 20 competitive appearances and established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s standout summer additions.
AFCON interrupted that momentum completely.
El Khannouss failed to record a scorer point for Morocco during the tournament and subsequently struggled badly upon returning to Germany. He started only two of Stuttgart’s first five matches for which he was eligible in 2026, with Hoeneß even withdrawing him at half-time following a particularly disappointing display against St. Pauli. Then came another dramatic swing.
El Khannouss struck twice in a 4-1 Europa League win away at Celtic in February, earning GGFN’s Player of the Match honours for a performance that finally broke his prolonged slump. A smiling El Khannouss subsequently declared “I’m back” and openly acknowledged that a player of his age would inevitably experience ups and downs.
The Celtic evening nevertheless didn’t fully arrest El Khannouss’ slide. El Khannouss continued to move in and out of Hoeneß’ preferred XI during the spring. He would score only one more league goal over the duration of the Bundesliga campaign. The most significant setback came when the Stuttgart trainer left him out of his starting XI for May’s DFB-Pokal final defeat to Bayern Munich.
That decision would later form an important part of the discussion surrounding El Khannouss’ future.
Premier League clubs circle after El Khannouss’ World Cup
Stuttgart nevertheless completed El Khannouss’ permanent signing, and his subsequent performances for Morocco at the 2026 World Cup ensured that the former Leicester man entered another summer transfer window as a highly sought-after player.
GGFN reported in late August that Newcastle United had made an enquiry for El Khannouss. Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Crystal Palace were also linked with bringing the former Leicester player back to England.
Galatasaray would later enter the race. The most concrete late-window approach ultimately came from Saudi Arabia. Al-Ittihad submitted a reported €40m offer, but El Khannouss rejected the opportunity to move to the Saudi Pro League.
The transfer deadline passed with El Khannouss still in Stuttgart.
Days later, the Moroccan supplied an emphatic reminder of precisely why so many clubs spent the summer monitoring him.
Hoeneß: “He definitely deserves special praise”
Hoeneß was keen to highlight El Khannouss’ performance at his post-match press conference, stressing that the attacker’s influence extended considerably beyond his spectacular opening goal.
“He definitely deserves special praise,” Hoeneß remarked at the post-match press conference. “His [opening] goal was very easy on the eyes. One also needs to mention the second goal. His ball control on the flank and then that through ball. He played a critical role in us winning the game today and, accordingly, he definitely deserves the recognition.
“To that, I’d like to add that he contributed a very well-rounded game,” Hoeneß continued. “He defended very responsibly, played very intensely, initiated plenty of duels, and won plenty of them as well. It was a really great performance today from Billy [El Khannouss].”
