Cologne fans are baffled: two reasons why El Mala's move fell through?

1. FC Köln v 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 - Bundesliga

At 1. FC Köln, officials are still trying to figure out why the El Mala family pulled out of Said's record-breaking move to Brentford FC.

According to the Express, the €50 million move for the 19-year-old rising star may have fallen through because his brother Malek was unable to obtain a residence permit in time for a swift transfer to the Bees.

The El Mala brothers have always moved clubs together. In 2023 they transferred from TSV Meerbusch to Viktoria Cologne, then in 2024 they moved from Viktoria to 1. FC Köln, spent a spell on loan back at Viktoria, and eventually returned to the Bundesliga outfit.

Last term, Said starred for the senior side, contributing 13 goals and five assists in 34 appearances to help the club avoid relegation, while Malek featured solely for the U23s in the Regionalliga West. He had netted five times in eleven outings before a muscle tear sidelined him for months, with his return coming only shortly before the campaign's conclusion.

Their joint career planning already cost Borussia Dortmund a chance to sign Said in 2024, as the club refused to include Malek in the deal. "That was the end of it for me," he told 11Freunde in a joint interview. Said, two years his younger brother's junior, is in no doubt that Malek is poised for similar success: "I am one hundred per cent sure that Malek will follow the same path."

Said El Mala Köln 2026

Has Said El Mala received a better offer in the meantime? "1. FC Köln is unaware of anything."

Links between Malek El Mala and the collapsed record move to Brentford aside, a superior offer may also have prompted the family to change course. Nevertheless, "FC Cologne are still unaware of anything," the paper reports.

Although Cologne and the Premier League club had reached an agreement, the player's mother—who is also his negotiator—called off the move to Brentford last Thursday. The family reportedly told Brentford the move was "not the right step". According to Express, the FC management was subsequently "stunned" by the collapsed deal. 

Since then, the situation has gone quiet. According to kicker, the Bundesliga club remains open to discussions if a lucrative offer arrives for the highly rated youngster, though the prospect of him staying has now re-emerged.

Effzeh is now seriously weighing this scenario, which had not been expected. Sport1 has also speculated about a possible U-turn by El Mala, since no fresh bid meeting both the club's valuation and the player's ambitions has materialised. Most recently, the Express reported that a move to Dortmund could be back on the table.

El Mala himself is currently on holiday after being left out of Julian Nagelsmann's World Cup squad, even following Lennart Karl's injury. Assan Ouedraogo travelled to the USA earlier this week to take El Mala's place.