Timo Horn is one of the most talented goalkeeper in Bundesliga. He was tipped to join top European clubs but chose to stay with his boyhood club, Koln.
When he joined Koln’s first team in 2012, he quickly became an important man for the club besides Lukas Podolski.
Together with Koln, Horn won 2.Bundesliga title twice but also experienced relegation twice.
After Podolski left the club for the second time, Horn stayed on and he remains with the club and he became the most loyal man for Koln, playing for more than 200 games with the club. He has prolonged his contract until 2023.
“It is my home club. I played in a small village for two years prior to moving to 1.FC Köln at the age of 9 in 2002. I have been here for eighteen years now and know everything about this place from my youth.
“It would take a lot to make me leave the team. I share many emotions with this club, have achieved a lot with the club but also have a lot to thank the club for. I hope that we will continue working well together.”
However, after being promoted to Bundesliga this season, Koln could only stayed in the mid-table towards the end of the season.
“We found ourselves in a situation in November and December in which we were considered certain to be relegated, especially because we had a change in Head Coach too.
“After that we had a positive run. We started a run of consecutive wins which I have never experienced with Köln before. Particularly after the training camp in winter we collected many points and took ourselves out of the bad situation.
“But we were suddenly interrupted by the coronavirus outbreak and have found ourselves in a position where we are not finding it easy.
“We have to work our way from the start again but have the opportunity to guarantee safety in the final four games. I think, a few months ago, many would have thought that we would be fighting right until the end.
“So, I am very proud of how the team has worked its way out of the position, although we could have taken one or two more points since the restart.”
Koln will travel to Leverkusen away from home, and Horn will be hoping to gain points on Wednesday.
“I personally want to maintain my current performance, that is clear. I want to give my best and help the team take as many points as possible.
“We have four games in front of us and can secure safety for ourselves. This was our only goal in November as we sat in last and second-last place for an extended time.
“I would like to make my own contribution towards achieving that. As a team we want to get one or two more wins, which we have recently been unable to do but have a good chance at doing in the games against 1.FC Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt.”
While Bundesliga clubs are happy that the season restarting well so far, Horn admitted that he missed the fan culture.
“We are really missing them, especially in the home games. Prior to the break, with our fans behind us, we played very well, dominated many teams and beat them.
“That was certainly in part down to the support of our fans because it gives you a great boost. It can boost us but also make an impression on the opponents and sometimes bring them to their knees.
“Usually they would stand behind you and motivate you to push forward but we are missing that now. On the other hand, we have to look to take motivation from within ourselves, so, I focus on motivating myself before the games.
“I concentrate on the essentials and make sure I do not lose my focus which can also be difficult as we no longer have the external support anymore.
However, I think I am getting along well and am hoping that we can quickly let supporters come back into the stadiums and enjoy the support that they give us.”