1. FC Köln and Jan Thielmann announced the extension of the player’s contract at the 2025 Season Opening. The 23-year-old forward will remain with FC until 2028.
“In our eyes, Jan shows a lot of what we would like to see from 1. FC Köln in the future. He has a huge identification with the task at hand, has a huge mentality and wants to keep getting better every day. Despite being 23, he has over 100 Bundesliga games under his belt and has impressive experience. At the same time, his journey is not yet over and we are convinced that Jan still has potential. We hope that he can take on more and more responsibility with his character and mentality and thus a leadership role. We are really pleased that Jan wants to continue on this path and actively contribute to stabilising FC in the Bundesliga,” said Sporting Director Thomas Kessler.
Jan Thielmann joined the FC Academy in 2017 at the age of 15 from Eintracht Trier. He was an FC fan long before that, however. After his first visit to the RheinEnergieSTADION he watched on as an FC supporter and worked every day to make his dream of playing there come true. In December 2019, that was the case. The 17-year-old made his debut in a 2:0 win against Bayer Leverkusen, becoming the first player born in 2002 to play in the Bundesliga.
“FC is my club. Köln has become my home. After relegation last year, I chose to stay here and to put things right. Together, we wanted to return to the Bundesliga. I am proud of that. Now, I want to take the next step with FC and take on more responsibility, to bring myself to another footballing level and to help FC to stabilise in the Bundesliga in the coming years,” said Jan Thielmann.
The Föhren-born Germany under-21 international has made 110 appearances in the Bundesliga for FC. In the past season, Thielmann featured 30 times in the 2. Bundesliga (two goals, three assists) and secured promotion back to the top-flight as Champions. His first title with FC came back in 2019, as part of the side that won the under-17 German Championship. In summer, he reached the final of the under-21 European Championship with Germany.