DThe football Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04, which is both sportingly and financially troubled, has found a successor for David Wagner in the former Augsburg coach Manuel Baum. The 41-year-old will receive a contract up to and including June 30, 2022 and should lead the traditional club out of the deep crisis. Schalke announced this on Wednesday. “In Manuel Baum we have been able to win an absolute specialist. If you look at his stations, you will find that his teams always had clear structures and processes on the pitch. This is a very important factor in our current situation, ”said Jochen Schneider, Director of Sport and Communication.
Even more than with the signing of Baum, the Revierklub surprised with the return of Naldo. The long-time Bundesliga professional is to assist the new head coach. For the 38-year-old former central defender, who achieved cult status at Schalke from 2016 to January 2019 and ended his career last summer, it is the first engagement of this kind. “With his experience of over 500 competitive games, Naldo is a great asset for the new team of trainers. He knows Schalke very well from his time as a player. The decisive factor for us was the combination of human and athletic competence. Naldo will bring a lot of positive energy into our cabin, ”commented Schneider.
The bottom of the table had separated from Wagner on Sunday after 18 games without a win across the seasons. The decisive factor was the clear defeats at 8-0 in Munich and 3-1 against Werder Bremen at the start of the season. The bottom of the table will play at RB Leipzig on Saturday. Baum recently trained the U18 national team. Between December 2016 and April 2019, Baum was the head coach of FC Augsburg. “Schalke 04 is a terrific club with an incredible amount of tradition and sporting potential. Our most urgent task is to give the team a sense of achievement again as quickly as possible, in training and in the game. I am convinced of the quality of our squad, ”said the 41-year-old Bavarian.
The task for the Wagner successor will be challenging. The squad at Schalke is considered difficult. In addition, after two years without qualifying for the European Cup, the former permanent guest of the Champions League is forced to take a rigid austerity course and just a few hours before the coach signed on, he announced liabilities of 205.3 million euros. Even the high level of wear and tear on the coaching post did not scare Baum. Since the turn of the millennium, more than 20 football teachers, including interim solutions, have tried their luck “at” Schalke. The numerous premature releases caused costs that contributed to the financial difficulties of the club and thwarted the desire for sporting continuity.
The Royal Blues are currently going through turbulent times. As a result of a ghost attack, the sports court of the DFB banned defender Ozan Kabak for four competitive games “for grossly unsportsmanlike behavior in the form of attempted assault against the opponent”. Before the subsequent suspension begins, Kabak must first serve his yellow-red suspension. So he will miss a total of five competitive games. In addition, the 20-year-old has to pay a fine of 15,000 euros. The player and the club have already agreed to the judgment, so it is final.
Kabak spat at his opponent Ludwig Augustinsson in the home game against Werder Bremen on Saturday evening (1: 3). Referee Markus Schmidt had not seen the scene, so the control committee was able to determine afterwards. Shortly before the final whistle, Kabak flew because of repeated fouls with yellow-red. Kabak had already apologized to Augustinsson on Saturday. “It was not intended to fool the view from the outside,” he wrote on Twitter: “I’ve never done something like this and never will, because it is simply unsporting. In any case, sorry to Ludwig. “
Departure after 18 games without a win: David Wagner
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Image: AFP
Schalke and Eintracht Frankfurt meanwhile swap goalkeepers. As announced by the Revierklub, Frederik Rönnow will be loaned by the league competitor from Hesse until the end of the current season. In return, Markus Schubert will move to Frankfurt on loan for the same period. “We hope that this exchange will have a positive effect for everyone involved: The air change will be good for Markus Schubert and Frederik Rönnow. Both are looking forward to the new challenge, ”said Schalke’s sports director Jochen Schneider.
Schubert is still under contract with Schalke until June 30, 2023. Rönnow moved from Bröndby IF to Frankfurt in July 2018 and has since played 21 competitive games for Eintracht. For Denmark, the 28-year-old made seven caps for Denmark.
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