Football Season Guide

Schalke is back in the big time after just one season in the second-tier. It wasn’t all plain sailing for The Royal Blues but the appointment of Mike Buskens as a temporary boss in early March had the desired effect, they won 9 of their last 10 matches and eventually won the Championship. The club has appointed ex-Arminia Bielefeld coach Frank Kramer as boss for the upcoming campaign and, although he was sacked by his former club last season, he did a good job the previous one and kept them in the Bundesliga against the odds. Schalke was unable to secure the services of Ko Itakura on a permanent deal after the defender impressed on loan last season but, other than that, their departures are mainly players who are surplus to requirements or in the latter stages of their career. The club has found it difficult to pin down a number one goalkeeper over the previous few seasons, but the signing of Alexander Schwolow from Hertha should resolve that problem. Centre-back Maya Yoshida is also a good addition and, at 33 years of age brings plenty of experience, he should also help new young defenders Leo Greiml and Ibrahimi Cisse in their development. Kramer also brings in right-back Cedric Brunner, who played under him at Bielefeld. In midfield, Kramer has more than enough at his disposal, Tom Krauß, Alex Krahl, and Florent Mollet are good competition for Rodrigo Zalazar, Danny Latza, and Florian Flick, while Tobias Mohr on the left wing is an interesting acquisition. In the centre-forward positions they may lack some pace, Simon Terodde is a proven goalscorer but isn’t getting any younger. New man Sebastian Polter is also in the latter stages of his career but is a player who will muck in if the going gets tough.