René Wagner lauds Said El Mala amid exit talks

Cologne head coach René Wagner has praised Said El Mala's attitude ahead of the club's training camp in Austria.

"The lad is a Cologne player, and that's how he presents himself every day," expressed Wagner on El Mala, who has considerable interest from the Premier League, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig. "He doesn't give any player or staff member the impression that his mind is elsewhere. Said throws himself into everything. I think you can see that he's involved in every challenge, he tracks back defensively, and he obviously has quality – we all know that."