Rescue plan is taking shape: Kolasinac returns to Schalke

Thursday December 31, 2020

Rescue plan is taking shape
Kolasinac returns to Schalke

FC Schalke 04 have been waiting for a win in the Bundesliga for almost a year. With Sead Kolasinac, a former high performer should bring back the winning gene. The unloved ex-boss Clemens Tönnies could pay the high salary of the Bosnian to the annoyance of the fans.

Looking for a way out of the crisis, FC Schalke 04 focus on old friends. Left-back Sead Kolasinac is returning on loan for six months, while Clemens Tönnies is talking about financial aid. But at least in the case of the ex-boss, some fans are likely to sound the alarm and refuse to return through the back door.

The powerful defender with a lot of offensive power had already played for the Royal Blues from 2012 to 2017 and recommended himself with strong performances for top European clubs. In the end, he left Schalke – like other top players – free of charge. In the English Premier League he was at Arsenal FC recently but no longer got along with coach Mikel Arteta, only made one league appearance in the current season. According to media reports, he will replace Omar Mascarell as captain in Gelsenkirchen. So far, however, there has been no confirmation of this.

In total, Kolasinac completed 113 games for the Gunners. According to Sky, the 30-time national player of Bosnia-Herzegovina will be presented on New Year's Day. A mission on Saturday in the Bundesliga duel at Hertha BSC (6.30 p.m. on Sky and in the live ticker from ntv.de.) but probably comes too early. It was only last Sunday that Schalke introduced the Swiss Christian Gross, the fourth coach of the current season.

2.4 instead of 9 million euros salary?

The only question that remains is how the damp Schalke are going to raise Kolasinac's salary. According to "Bild" and "Sport Bild", the native of Karlsruhe should be prepared to forego a large part of his allegedly nine million euros salary. In the end, however, S04 will have to pay a half-year salary of 2.4 million euros.

For the club, which is in debt with around 240 million euros, still a generous amount. But just at this moment, ex-boss Tönnies also speaks out. The long-time club boss announced that he would provide financial support if necessary.

In an interview with RTL and n-tv, in an interview with RTL and n-tv, the multi-billion dollar meat manufacturer from East Westphalia, who had given up his position as chairman of the supervisory board after several scandal, said in an interview with RTL and n-tv: "We mustn't let Schalke go under if we asked for it." I'm the very last one who doesn't help, "explained Tönnies pathetically.

Most recently, the entrepreneur had emphasized several times that he did not want to make a comeback at Schalke. However, he is currently suffering with the Royal Blues, who have been waiting for a victory in the Bundesliga for almost a year. "Schalke has a structural problem. Schalke is a club, and you can see how this club is always preoccupied with itself," said Tönnies: "That is my appeal to those responsible: change that."

Schalke fans in a quandary

The native of Westphalia also blames himself to some extent for the economic problems: "I reproach myself for having dreamed this dream of the eternal club for too long. Schalke has to transform into a company – and then Schalke will be back."

With this, Tönnies addressed the spin-off plans of the traditional club, which, however, are highly controversial among many of the 160,000 club members. Tönnies himself has also fallen out of favor with many followers. Above all, his racist remarks had brought the 64-year-old sharp criticism before he resigned on June 30th.

The fans will now take a closer look at the form in which the former patriarch is again influencing Schalke. A no to the Tönnies money could also mean that the urgently needed new reinforcements are qualitatively far weaker than hoped and Schalke will actually be second class at the end of the season. This means that at the beginning of the new year, the afflicted Schalke family is faced with a question of conscience again.