Steffen Tigges: The Erling Haaland “clone” on his first full season at 1.FC Köln

Exclusive Interview 

It was a running joke during the 2021/22 season that whenever Steffen Tigges came on for Borussia Dortmund, he was called the Erling Haaland clone. And indeed, visually, the two seem to have a lot in common. Both are blond, and both are very tall target-Man, but Tigges obviously still lacks Haaland’s productivity. Having since joined Köln, Tigges laughs when he is asked about the comparison. The 24-year-old striker sat down with Transfermarkt during the winter break to discuss his development, Köln’s outlook for the second half of the season, and comparisons with Haaland. 

“We look similar, have the same body type, and I think it is funny,” Tigges said when asked about the comparison that have been made between him and Haaland. “Of course, I wish I had scored as many goals as he has,” Tigges said with a laugh.” 

Tigges, who joined the Billy Goats last summer for €1.5 million from Dortmund, feels that he benefited from playing with Haaland last season. “It motivates you,” Tigges said. “You want to keep up with him, and you want to show that you, too, can add something to the team. It can only help to train with the best. What was impressive is how he always wanted to improve, he worked hard on every aspect of his game all the time, and that is something every player can learn from.”

Tigges transfer to Köln: In the shadow of Haaland

Off the pitch, Tigges reveals Haaland was also a fantastic teammate. “He is a great personality on and off the pitch; you could always have a fun conversation with him,” Tigges said, underlining that Haaland, like himself, is still a very young player at the start of his development. “You must remember that he, too, is still at the start of his development. You can see in the Premier League that he continues to develop daily.”

Haaland has undoubtedly left his mark on the Bundesliga and Borussia Dortmund, scoring 86 goals and 23 assists in just 89 games. The Norwegian joined Man City for €60m last summer and has since devastated the Premier League scoring 21 goals and three assists in just 17 games. With that in mind, it was no surprise that Tigges’ departure for €1.5m was just a footnote in comparison to the Haaland to City deal. But the 24-year-old German striker had a very efficient record at Dortmund before he moved to Cologne, scoring three goals in just 103 Bundesliga minutes for the Black and Yellows. 

Scoring a goal every 34 minutes was always going to be a challenging pace to keep up for Tigges once he had joined Köln. At Dortmund, the striker was considered a bench player—pressed into service whenever Haaland needed a break—but now at Köln, he has become a regular despite starting the season with an injury. From matchday 5 onwards, Tigges scored three goals in 12 Bundesliga games.

 Tigges start at Köln: “I am thrilled with my performances”

“I think the first half season has been very positive,” Tigges said when asked about the start of the season with Köln. “Despite starting with an injury, I played many games, which, of course, was partly because Anthony Modeste left [for Borussia Dortmund]. But considering that this is my first full season in the Bundesliga, I am thrilled with my performances, even if I want to score more goals.” 

With the Bundesliga set to return this weekend, Köln are 13th in the Bundesliga standings, three points above the relegation line. But Tigges believes that the performances have been much better than the results. “In many games, we didn’t have the match luck we needed,” Tigges said. “It wasn’t like we played bad. Just the results haven’t always been right.” 

Goals would help maneuver Köln out of the bottom of the table, and Tigges admits that he should have perhaps one or two more goals in the first half of the season.  “A few more goals by our forwards would have been a good thing,” Tigges said. “It is perhaps something that has been lacking and would help our team overall.” 

Tigges: “I want to score a handful of goals in the second half”

The 24-year-old, however, is adamant that the goals will come in the second half of the season. “I think if I am fully fit, then I can add perhaps another handful of goals in the second half,” Tigges said. In other words, the goal is to score in the double digits? Tigges smiles and shakes his head when asked that question, perhaps to downplay expectations. “It is difficult to say,” Tigges said. “It is always the most important thing to help the team, and if I can contribute more goals and score double-digits, then I would be more than happy.” 

Scoring double-digits in the Bundesliga would mean a big step in Tigges’ development. Tall center-forwards with a German passport are also a rarity, and a strong showing in the Bundesliga could make them an option for national team coach Hansi Flick. 

But the striker quickly talks down any talk of the German national team. “I want to develop to help Köln,” Tigges said. “If I get called up someday, then that means I have played well for Köln, and that matters first and foremost.” Youssoufa Moukoko and Niclas Füllkrug have highlighted that a call-up can come quickly when players when play well for their club teams. 

Tigges one for Germany? “I want to develop to help Köln”

Moukoko and Füllkrug could not prevent Germany’s early exit from the World Cup. The lack of goalscoring, which, in particular, was evident against Japan on matchday 1, also opened the debate about Germany’s lack of depth in the no.9 position. A position that seems to have been neglected by the country’s academies. 

The Köln striker becomes thoughtful when asked why Germany has struggled to produce traditional center-forwards like himself. “Difficult to say,” Tigges said. “There is a big emphasis on playing short passes, few crosses, in youth football. But in the Bundesliga, there is suddenly an emphasis on crosses, and then German players struggle because they didn’t learn to deal with that style in the academy.”  

One thing is for sure, a German striker of Tigges’ stature and toolset is a rarity, making the 24-year-old a unique prospect in the Bundesliga. The market value development already underlines the potential. Tigges has already more than doubled his €1.5m market value from last summer to €3.5m—that trend will easily continue should Tigges add further goals to his Bundesliga career. 

Homepage