1. FC Köln and Denis Huseinbasic are parting ways effective immediately: As the Cologne-based club announced on Wednesday, the 24-year-old is joining Sporting Braga.
This marks the end of Denis Huseinbasic’s time at 1. FC Köln after four years. The midfielder joined from Offenbacher Kickers in the summer of 2022 and immediately made 24 Bundesliga appearances. In the years that followed, Huseinbasic remained a regular in the starting lineup for the most part.
However, the 24-year-old lost that status last season; under both Lukas Kwasniok and his successor René Wagner, he was reduced to a bench player. As a result, by mid-May he had only 15 Bundesliga appearances to his name, and he played the full 90 minutes in just two of them.
“Denis didn’t get the playing time he had hoped for last season,” admitted FC managing director Thomas Kessler. That is why Huseinbasic informed club officials of his desire to transfer. “We were subsequently able to reach an agreement with SC Braga and grant his wish.”
Huseinbasic with Braga in the Conference League
Huseinbasic is now embarking on a fresh start at Sporting Braga. The seven-time Bosnian international, who did not make the World Cup squad, signed a contract with the club from northern Portugal through June 2031. And he even has the chance to play internationally. Having finished fourth last season, Sporting has qualified for the Europa Conference League.
“It’s been four exciting years for me, for which I am first and foremost very grateful,” Huseinbasic said as he bid farewell to Cologne. “The fans supported me and the team, even during difficult times. I’d like to thank all FC fans for that.”