Cologne's potential curbed by lack of ambition?

They've kept most of last season's top performers, added some much needed reinforcements and acquired a locally-born midfielder with an abundance of Bundesliga experience. If you'd offered that scenario to Cologne fans in May, they'd have bitten your hand off.

The club’s management enjoyed off a solid close season with a couple of positive surprises, meaning expectations are on the rise on the Rhien. However, the rosy outlook is, for some, a little tempered by of a lack of ambition from the club’s staff, something which threatens to cast a dark cloud over Cologne’s season.

Transfers: Good ground work, and one Jonas Hector

FC’s off season dealings were as smart as any Bundesliga club. Managing director Jörg Schmadtke and co planned wisely during this transfer window and were rewarded for their foresight.

When it became clear that midfielder Yannick Gerhardt, a Cologne local, was off to Wolfsburg, the Billy Goats acted fast and signed another Cologne-born midfielder, Marco Höger from Schalke. Höger might have been injured throughout last season, but he’s a local. For club with such loyal support in their home region, that matters. A lot.

On the striking front, the club leant heavily on the services of the ever-present Anthony Modeste last term. The French striker duly delivered with 15 league goals. It became clear that shoud Cologne wish to trouble the European spots, avoiding over-reliance on the former Hoffenheim man was preferable, he's unlikely to play 34 games again. To that end, two strikers were signed: Artjoms Rudnevs, who joined on a free from Hamburg, will provide a different option while 20-year-old Frenchman Sehrou Guirassy is seen as one for the future but could see some first team action.

However, the story of the transfer window for FC and its fans wasn't a transfer at all. Left back Jonas Hector had a wonderful Euro 2016 campaign with Germany and rumors were circulating that he might join either Borussia Dortmund or Liverpool. When Cologne secured the signing of Darmstadt left-back Konstantin Rausch it looked like their star man would be off but, to the surprise of almost everyone, Hector ended up signing a long-term contract with the club.

Head coach: Peter Stöger

Under the Austrian’s leadership, Cologne have enjoyed steady season-by-season progress. He managed to get the club promoted to the Bundesliga in his first full season in charge of the club, led them to a respectable 12th spot during his first Bundesliga season, and went further to secure ninth last term. Perhaps that may be the extent of his ambitions though, Stöger was recently quoted as saying that he expects his Cologne side to maintain their position in mid-table.

“We want to reach similar results to last season,” said the 50-year-old manager in the club’s season opening event. The statement was regarded by some as lacking ambition, particularly after the club struck a deal with Hector, who had expressed his ambitions of achieving European football at the Rhein-Energie stadium.

By choosing to lower expectations, thus lowering the risks of him being judged on lofty targets, Stöger perhaps takes the even bigger risk of unsettling some of his players, and possibly angering some of the fans.

Key man: Timo Horn

The goalkeeper - another Cologne-born talent - proved himself to be one of the Bundesliga’s rising stars during last season. Only 23, Horn starts his fifth season as The Billy Goats' top shotstopper. His impressive performances in that time saw him win his place between the posts as Germany’s number one at the Olympic games in Rio, where they won silver.

Like Hector, Horn was courted by Borussia Dortmund but preferred to stay in Cologne, where he is virtually guaranteed first team football, rather than competing with Swiss stopper Roman Bürki and crowd favorite Roman Weidenfeller for the BVB keeper spot. If Horn manages to maintain last season's impressive form, it's hard to see him sticking around for too much longer.

What to expect: Mid-table medicority

Cologne’s squad is balanced, the club has a quality manager at the helm and their top players appear committed to the cause, so there aren't an awful lot of reasons to worry.

Safety seems relatively assured, so the real question is whether Stöger and his boys will decide to gamble a little and aim for European qualification at the slight risk of finding themselves in relegation trouble. Is it a risk worth taking? Is it worth being more tactically adventurous and splashing a bit more cash for a continental campaign. Probably not, if the Cologne gaffer’s quotes are anything to go by.

This season should tell us whether FC Cologne are a club looking to progress or whether they are happy to stagnate in the relatively lucrative mud of the Bundesliga’s mid-table battles.