The 19-year-old had opportunities to remain in England after impressing on loan at Rangers last season, but decided that moving abroad would challenge him in a different footballing environment.
The Evening Standard reported that Moore had been attracted by the Bundesliga’s record of helping young English players develop, with the winger explaining his thinking in an interview with BBC 5 Live.
“I had options to stay in England and to maybe stay where I'm a little bit more comfortable,” he said. “But for me, the conversations came down to me to pick a team, and I wanted to take myself a little bit out of my comfort zone to go and test myself in a big league and in one of the top five leagues.
“When we were speaking, everyone said that they think it'd be a really good experience for me to experience this type of football.
“It's really intense. There are some great teams in the league. So, yeah, for me, it was a no-brainer.”
Moore’s decision was shaped in part by the paths taken by Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho, two England internationals who developed their reputations in Germany after leaving English clubs for Borussia Dortmund.
“Over the years, you've seen so many young players come out here, and there's some obviously really, really good examples where some world-class players like Jude Bellingham, Sancho done really well,” Moore said.
The Tottenham winger added that the early faith shown in him by Cologne had reinforced his belief that the move was right. He has started the club’s last three league matches, gaining regular minutes soon after arriving on a season-long loan.
“So, yeah, it's a really attractive place to play football, I think, especially for a young attacker. They put real trust in me to trust me to come in and even the amount of game time I've played so quickly on in my kind of Cologne career. It's been nice to have that trust of all the staff and the people in the club.
“So, yeah, I'm already happy with my decision. I think now I can really kick on and kind of make my own story or build my own path in German football.”
Moore had also featured for Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi before the loan was completed. The teenager came off the bench against Brentford and Newcastle United in the league, then scored and assisted in a 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Charlton Athletic.
Although De Zerbi had considered keeping him, Cologne had tracked Moore for some time and offered a route to more consistent senior football. The move followed Tottenham’s agreement of an £85 million deal for Brazilian winger Savinho, but Moore said he had decided early that Germany was the right place to continue his development.
“I kind of made the decision early that I wanted to take myself out here, and now I just need to push on,” he said.
His immediate aim is to make the most of his opportunity at Cologne and return to Tottenham with greater experience. The examples of Bellingham and Sancho offered encouragement, but Moore is now looking to establish a career in Germany on his own terms.