The sporting director says the 2-1 victory over their local rivals was not a decisive moment for Wagner, whose position has attracted criticism from sections of the fanbase.
“There was absolutely no unrest internally. And there were never any scenarios that we were considering,” Kessler told Bild.
“Of course, we weren’t entirely satisfied with the points we had collected. But we have to assess the overall situation sensibly.”
Cologne secured the derby victory on 11 October, with Isak Jóhannesson opening the scoring before Said El Mala struck the decisive goal in the second half. The result also kept Wagner’s team unbeaten at home in the Bundesliga this season.
Kessler remains convinced that Wagner is the right man to lead the club, despite the scrutiny surrounding a coach who took charge without previous experience as a senior first-team head coach.
“You mustn’t forget that the last coach to take over here without previous experience as a head coach was Christoph Daum in the 1980s,” Kessler said.
He added that Wagner’s appointment had been a deliberate decision rather than a temporary gamble.
“We chose him very deliberately because we are convinced of his professional and personal qualities. Nothing has changed in that conviction.”
Wagner took over following the departure of Lukas Kwasniok and has continued to lead Cologne through the current campaign. Kessler’s comments make clear that the club’s assessment of the coach is based on more than individual results.
The sporting director acknowledged that the team’s points return had not always met expectations, but argued that the wider context must be considered before drawing conclusions about the coaching position.
The derby victory offered Cologne a timely boost, but Kessler’s message is that Wagner’s standing within the club did not depend on the result. According to the sporting director, there was no prospect of dismissal even if the team had lost to Gladbach.