Cologne coach Stoeger signs new deal to 2020

BERLIN, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Cologne coach Peter Stoeger signed a three-year extension to his contract until 2020 on Thursday after steering the club from the second division to mid-table stability in the Bundesliga.

The Austrian, who took over in 2013/14, secured promotion to the Bundesliga in his first season in charge and then guided them to a 12th-place finish back in the top-flight.

Cologne are in ninth place at the halfway mark of the current campaign.

"We have the best coach for Cologne with Peter Stoeger," said club CEO Joerg Schmadtke in a statement. "We are successfully working together and we want to continue doing that with Peter.

"So the contract extension is a mark of trust for an outstanding coach who also enjoys a lot of support by fans and the city."