Tottenham's Mikey Moore says the success of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham in the Bundesliga influenced his decision to join Cologne on loan. The 19-year-old became the latest English talent to move to the German top flight after completing a season-long loan move to the Rhein Energie Stadion last month.
Moore's move came almost a decade after a 17-year-old Sancho left Manchester City to join Borussia Dortmund. During his time in Germany, Sancho established himself as one of Europe's most exciting wingers, making more than 150 appearances for Dortmund and helping the club win the DFB-Pokal in 2021. He later secured a £73m move to Manchester United. Bellingham followed a similar path in 2020, leaving Birmingham City to join Dortmund, before joining Real Madrid for an initial £88.5m in 2023.
Speaking on the Euro Leagues podcast ahead of Friday's Bundesliga match with Eintracht Frankfurt, Moore revealed that his fellow Englishmen had inspired him to turn down offers from England in favour of Germany. "It's a really attractive place to play football, especially for a young attacker," Moore said. "They've put real trust in me, and the amount of game time I've played so quickly in my Koln [Cologne] career has been nice."
Moore is no stranger to stepping outside his comfort zone. Last season, he made 47 appearances in all competitions during a loan spell at Scottish Premiership side Rangers, scoring six goals and providing two assists. "I wanted to take myself a little bit out of my comfort zone to test myself in a big league," he said. Having found an apartment near fellow England youth internationals Reigan Heskey and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, he has also turned his attention to learning German.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing