Gideon Mensah’s FC Koln debut delayed by flu

Gideon Mensah’s first steps as a FC Koln player are on hold after the left-back was struck down by flu just as he was due to join his new teammates in pre-season.

FC Koln fans were excited and warmly welcomed the defender when he signed for the club after the 2026 World Cup, heightening the frustration around this minor setback. According to Bild, the 28-year-old could not travel with the squad to their training camp in Kitzbuhel on Friday because of the illness.

The plan had been for Mensah to end his special post-World Cup holiday and link up directly with the team in Austria, where the new Bundesliga campaign is being prepared. Instead, he has remained in Cologne to recover fully and avoid infecting teammates, a precaution the club views as essential at this stage of pre-season.

If his condition improves over the coming days, Mensah is expected to join the camp later on. Koln will stay in Kitzbuhel until July 31, giving him a realistic window to integrate into training and start building chemistry with his new colleagues before the season kicks off. The club and supporters hope this brief delay will be the only bump in what they expect to be a strong debut season for the Ghana international.