Köln’s Leart Paçarada headed to Bristol City? | OneFootball

The Kölner Express reports that FC Köln left back Leart Paçarada could be headed to Bristol City. Paqarada’s former coach in the 2. Bundesliga last season, Gerhard Struber, is interested in bringing the 30-year-old to the EFL Championship. Paçarada enters the final year of his contract and maintains an estimated market value of €1.5m.

Paçarada – a former St.Pauli captain – joined Köln on a free in the summer of 2023. The German-Kosovar started the first nine fixtures of the 2023/24 campaign under head coach Steffen Baumgart before losing his starting place to Dominique Heintz and, later, Max Finkgräfe. He would make just two starts under head coach Timo Schultz during the second half of the season.

Back in the German second division, Paçarada reclaimed his starter’s role. The Aachen-native started in 31 of 34 of Köln’s 2. Bundesliga fixtures, garnering eight assists over the course of the campaign. At present, Finkgräfe’s sale to RB Leipzig leaves him on top of the depth chart at his position.

The German paper nevertheless reports that new Kölner head coach Lukas Kwasniok may have other plans for the position. The cathedral city club have already completed a lucrative sale of one player to the English second division with the €8m deal to send striker Damion Downs to Southampton.

GGFN | Peter Weis