Köln head coach Lukas Kwasniok on Thomas Kessler’s managerial promotion: “Good for me, good for Köln, good for the fans, and good for journalists.”

Köln head coach Lukas Kwasniok has had a chance to comment on his friend and colleague Thomas Kessler’s promotion to club managing director. True to form, Kwasniok candidly noted that he didn’t agree on everything whilst working in close conjunction with the man who hired him. The 44-year-old nevertheless emphasized that – now that the matter of Kessler’s new title has finally been settled – the relationship has one less piece of strain on it. 

Kwasniok speaks on Kessler’s connection to the team

This whole outfit would be a ‘banana republic’ if the sporting director didn’t work in close connection with the coach and team,” Kwasniok noted at his Friday pre-match press conference.Kess has had his issues and some of them remain, but we’ve been able to spend a lot of time together in the last six weeks.

“Now that things have worked out in other areas, our close proximity has produced an even closer relationship,” Kwasniok continued. “[Kessler’s promotion] constitutes a decisive step [forward. It’s good for 1. FC Köln, good for me, good for the fans, and good for the journalists. There are only winners.

GGFN | Peter Weis