Former Norwich City loanee Ondrej Duda has signed for Bundesliga club FC Koln from Hertha Berlin on a permanent basis.
The Slovakian international made 12 appearances for the Canaries in all competitions after arriving on loan from the German outfit in January.
Duda made his debut against Bournemouth in City’s 1-0 win over the Cherries later that month. His impressive performance increased excitement surrounding his arrival but he failed to replicate that standard of display again in yellow and green.
His loan spell at the club was terminated early after City’s relegation back to the Championship was confirmed and he had been training with Hertha hoping to restore a place in a side.
The move ends a spell in the shadows at Hertha after a positive individual season during the 2018/19 season where the Slovakian scored 11 goals and registered six assists.
According to reports, the Billy Goats have paid €7 million to sign Duda - with Jhon Cordoba moving in the opposite direction. For Duda, the move represents a fresh start for his career following disappointing spells with Hertha and City.
“I am very happy to be here. FC Koln is a club that I know well with its fans from the Bundesliga. It’s an exciting challenge for me. I will give everything for the club,” Duda told the club’s official website.
When explaining why the club fought so hard to bring in the attacking midfielder, Koln managing director Horst Heldt outlined a number of Duda’s strengths as being the key to why they wanted to add him to their squad.
“Ondrej is a classic ten. He has already proven in the Bundesliga that he can not only prepare goals, but also shoot them himself. He is strong, can play the game quickly and has a very good overview of the game. He also applies incredibly strong standard.”
Speaking about why his loan with City didn’t work out, Duda told
“I didn’t play as much as I expected, but I was treated well,” he said, speaking at a press briefing. “I thought it would be more difficult, but the level is the same. The Bundesliga is more tactical, the games in the Premier League are more open.
“It was a great experience for me. There were two different phases: before and during coronavirus. It wasn’t the best situation in the club, but I liked it there. Everyone was friendly and I can only thank them for how they treated me.”
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