Köln may act first to acquire Bielefeld’s Okugawa

By Peter Vice   @ViceytheSS

FC Köln’s Geißblog fan-site reports that the cathedral city side may be interested in picking up Japanese attacker from recently relegated DSC Arminia Bielefeld. 

Masaya Okugawa.
Masaya Okugawa. Photo: Werner100359, CC BY-SA 4.0

A fire-sale in the northern fringes of the Teutoburg Forest should not take too long to commence. One year after DSC Arminia Bielefeld were relegated from the German top flight, a playoff loss against SV Wehen Wiesbaden means that die Arminen will have to spend next season in the German third division. As a result of the rapid fall, it is reported by some sources that only three or four players on the club’s 27-man-active roster have contracts valid for the 3. Liga.


Bielefeld have several players valued at €1 million plus in the latest transfermarkt listings that likely are on their way out. Winger Robin Hack (€2.2 million) is widely reported to have already signed with Gladbach. American fullback George Bello (€1.5 million), and striker Janni Serra (€1.3 million) are other sure-fire candidates for a quick liquidations. Japanese youth international Masaya Okugawa (at €2.5 million) is the most valuable member of the squad.

Okugawa actually enjoyed success in the German top flight, scoring nine goals in 46 league appearances during the DSC’s two-year-stint in the top flight. Helped on during his early tenure in German football by friend and countryman Ritsu Doan (currently of Freiburg), Okugawa went on to enjoy a 15-scorer-point campaign with the East Westphalians this past season.

Köln’s Geißblog fan-site claims that 1. FC Köln are interested in plucking the 27-year-old away from the recently relegated side. Such a move would make sense in that the attacking midfielder constitutes just the sort of budget option personnel executive Christian Keller generally likes to obtain. Moreover, Effzeh trainer Steffen Baumgart also said in April that he found Okugawa an “interesting player”.

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