Köln loan Soldo out to Lautern

Germany’s cathedral city side confirmed a season-long loan-out to 1. FC Kaiserslautern for defender Nikola Soldo on Tuesday. 

FC Köln defender Nikola Soldo will spend the 2023/24 season on the Betzenberg Hill. Germany’s cathedral city side confirmed a loan-out for the 22-year-old Croatian youth international on Wednesday afternoon. Soldo joined Köln during the January 2023 transfer window from Lokomotiva Zagreb, but to date has made just seven league appearances for die Geißböcke over the past 18 months.

In a statement released by Lautern, Soldo noted that he was pleased to be joining one Germany’s historic clubs that his father – famous former VfB Stuttgart defender Zvonimir Soldo was familiar with during his Bundesliga playing days between 1995 and 2006. In Soldo, Lautern likely have the defensive reinforcement they were seeking. Rumors linking Union’s Dominique Heintz with the FCK had recently been cropping up.

“I have heard a lot about the club from my father, who himself played against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in his active days,” Soldo was quoted as saying in an FCK press release. “It’s a great club with an impressive history and I’m convinced that I will take the next important development steps in my career here. I was also convinced by the sporting goals and the path that those responsible are pursuing to make the switch.”

“Nikola is a talented central defender who already brings a lot of higher-class experience despite his young years,” FCK managing director Thomas Henge added,  “He gives our squad more depth and variability, as he can be used in a back-three, back-four or as a six.”

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