The loan signing of Borna Sosa by 1. FC Köln almost turned into a deadline day disaster due to two unfortunate mishaps. The 28-year-old Croatian full-back put pen to paper at 19:57, just three minutes before the Bundesliga transfer window closed, as the club's sporting director Thomas Kessler revealed to Bild Sport.

The first hiccup occurred on the morning of September 1st. Sosa, who had been training with his then-club Crystal Palace, forgot his identification document. Although the ID was driven to him, the player had already left for the airport. This delay forced the club to relocate the scheduled medical check at short notice. Usually, team doctor Paul Klein (59) conducts these examinations at the Mediapark clinic in the city centre. Due to the time pressure, the check was moved to Geißbockheim, FC Köln's training ground. Kessler stated: "He had forgotten his ID, which was then driven to him."

What caused the last-minute scramble?

The second, nearly fatal panic happened in the very final minutes. Around 19:55, as documents needed to be prepared for upload to the DFL, the computer screen froze. "We had to print something at 19:55, and suddenly the screen froze," said the 40-year-old Kessler. "That was the first time I thought: Okay, now it's getting really tight." Additional pressure came from the differing transfer window closing times. While the Bundesliga window shut at 20:00, Crystal Palace's window remained open until midnight (CEST). This gave the Cologne officials more theoretical leeway, but they had to pressure the English club to release the necessary paperwork on time.

Which historical parallel was threatening to repeat itself?

The situation was a painful reminder of a failed transfer from 2011. Back then, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, now 37 and with New York Red Bulls, was supposed to move from HSV to Cologne. The transmission of documents failed due to a defective fax machine, with the papers arriving at the DFL 14 minutes late. This so-called "Cologne catastrophe" nearly repeated itself with Borna Sosa. The document upload succeeded at the last second, and the deal was made official at 19:57.

How does Sosa fit into the current Cologne squad?

The signing of the experienced full-back comes at a time when FC is dealing with several absences. According to current injuries, Sebastian Sebulonsen, Thijs Dallinga, Timo Hübers and Said El Mala are currently sidelined. Sosa brings Bundesliga experience and offers options for both defensive and offensive flanks. His first potential game for FC could be the home match against Werder Bremen on September 12th, as shown in the current fixtures schedule. The team is now preparing for this match while integrating Sosa. The complete squad overview can be found on our squad page.

The successful completion of the loan deal highlights the nerve of the officials around Thomas Kessler. After the turbulent final minutes on deadline day, 1. FC Köln can now focus on sporting matters, starting with the home game against Werder Bremen on September 12, 2026.