Mikey Moore had the option to stay in England and settle into something familiar for the 2026/27 season. He picked Köln instead, and he says two names in particular made the choice easy.

“For me, it was a no-brainer,” the 19-year-old told the BBC’s Euro Leagues podcast ahead of Köln’s trip to Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.

“I had options to stay in England and maybe stay somewhere a little more comfortable. But the conversations came down to me picking a team, and I wanted to take myself a little bit out of my comfort zone.”

Moore then named the players whose careers convinced him the Bundesliga was worth the leap.

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“I think over the years you’ve seen so many young players come out here, and there are some really good examples of world-class players like Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho doing really well. It’s a really attractive place to play football, especially for a young attacker.”

From Rangers to the Rhein

Tottenham confirmed the loan on 31 August, with Moore moving to Köln for the rest of the season. It is his second loan in a row: last term he spent a full campaign at Rangers, racking up 47 appearances in all competitions and seven goals, and was named PFA Scotland’s Young Player of the Year.

Moore came through Tottenham’s academy and made his Premier League debut at 16, the youngest player in the club’s top-flight history. Köln sporting director Thomas Kessler called the move a chance to add a direct, creative attacker to René Wagner’s squad, saying Moore “possesses excellent technical ability, is creative and bold in one-on-one situations”.

‘I’m already happy with my decision’

The loan is barely six weeks old, but Moore says Köln have given him exactly what he hoped for.

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“They’ve put real trust in me, and the amount of game time I’ve played so quickly in my Koln career has been nice.”

“I’m already happy with my decision. Now I can really kick on, make my own story and build my own path in German football.”

That path already looks like a slightly British one. On 5 September against VfB Stuttgart, Köln became the first Bundesliga club to field three Englishmen at the same time, when Moore lined up alongside Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Reigan Heskey. Moore has yet to score in the Bundesliga, but has featured in four league games for a side sitting mid-table after five matchdays.

The language barrier does not seem to worry him much either.

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“I wasn’t the brightest at school, so I might take a while to learn the language.”

Köln travel to Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday evening, Moore’s first Bundesliga outing since the podcast was recorded.

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