Ghana defender Gideon Mensah says FC Koln’s long-term plans persuaded him to join the Bundesliga club, despite attracting interest from several teams across Europe.
The experienced left-back moved to Koln as a free agent after ending a four-year spell with French club AJ Auxerre. He has signed a contract running until June 2028.
Mensah’s decision followed an impressive FIFA World Cup campaign with Ghana, during which he started all four of the Black Stars’ matches.
Speaking to Flashscore, the 28-year-old said his choice was based on more than the reputation of a club or the strength of the league in which it played. He explained that he assessed the plans of several interested teams before deciding that Koln offered the most suitable setting for the next stage of his career.
“I had offers from so many clubs, most of them from European countries. But I chose Koln because when clubs contact you, you speak to them and then you get to know their projects and their intentions for you as a player,” he said.
Mensah said the relationship between a club and its surroundings was also an important part of his thinking when considering a move.
“As a player, you also check things like whether it’s a good city for you, whether it’s a good club for you, whether the project is good for you, and whether you’re going to be comfortable playing there. You also look at whether you think it’s good for your career.
“I’ve had offers from Germany as well, so after the conversations back and forth with most of the clubs, I realised that Koln was the club with a good project for me as a player to continue my career after playing in France.”
The Ghana international joined Auxerre in 2022 and established himself as a regular at left-back during a successful spell in France.
He played an important role in Auxerre’s Ligue 2 title-winning campaign in 2024 and made 114 appearances for the club in all competitions. Of those, 85 came in Ligue 1.
Mensah also featured regularly during the 2025-26 season, making 30 league appearances and providing two assists as Auxerre finished 15th.
His move to Germany has already resulted in a Bundesliga debut. Mensah played in Koln’s 3-2 victory over TSG Hoffenheim at the RheinEnergieStadion.
The left-back is expected to feature again next weekend, when Koln travel to the MHPArena to face VfB Stuttgart.
For Mensah, the move represents a new chapter after four seasons with Auxerre, but he has made clear that the choice was not driven solely by the opportunity to play in another major European league. The discussions he held with prospective clubs, and his assessment of their plans for him, ultimately led him to Koln.
