Effenberg: Mara should have stayed in Cologne for two more years, Podolski failed to go to Bayern that year

October 20th News Cologne’s 19-year-old forward Mara has become the target of Bayern and other teams due to his outstanding performance, but Bayern star Effenberg reminded him that he should not join Bayern so early and should think about what happened to his predecessor Podolski.

With 3 goals and 1 assist in 245 minutes in 7 appearances in the Bundesliga this season, Mara has attracted attention in the Bundesliga. Regarding rumors that Bayern is also interested in him, Effenberg reminded: "There is strong strength there. But he is a talented young player. What happened to Podolski in Munich? He took that step, but it did not succeed."

Podolski transferred from Cologne to Bayern Munich as a member of the national team in 2006 at the age of 21, but returned to Cologne after three years of mediocre performance.

Therefore, Effenberg also advised Mara not to act too hastily: "I think it is best for him to stay in Cologne for another one or two years. There he can gain trust. He has a coach who guides him very well. In Cologne he does not have the kind of pressure he has to bear at Bayern."

Bayern Old Babel also affirmed Mara's huge potential. He emphasized: "He still needs to continue to work hard. If he can do it, he can reach a higher level. He dares to go one-on-one and is very fast. In Germany, we don't have many such players."

Former Bundesliga player Felix- When talking about Mara, Kroos called for giving more playing time to young German players: "You can only learn through games. The next step must be for him to start from the starting lineup. We must also do the same for our talented German players."

He also emphasized that young players should be given the opportunity to make mistakes. Will: "We have to give them playing time. This is what we have neglected in recent years. This is my biggest wish. This is also the way players learn and grow."

Faced with the growing enthusiasm surrounding the U21 international, Cologne coach Lucas Quasniak has protected him many times. After the weekend's game against Augsburg, he joked: "Every goal he scores, he's worth five million more."

Quasniok went on to say: "We're proud of the club for signing him at the right time. We knew he probably wouldn't play here for the next 15 years and one day would have to sell him for an unbelievably high price."