FC Schalke 04's new signings raise hopes - majority of fans expect to stay in the league

These are busy weeks for Schalke's sporting director Rouven Schröder and those in charge at the ‚Royal Blues‘. The promoted team is intensively working on the squad for the upcoming Bundesliga season. For example, promotion heroes Thomas Ouwejan and Rodrigo Zalazar, who were previously on loan, have been permanently signed by the club. Following the appointment of the new coach Frank Kramer, the first new signings are also being announced one after another. For this reason, FanQ asked football fans in Germany for their opinions on the confirmed and potential transfers of the Gelsenkirchen club, as well as their prospects for the upcoming season.

The S04 officials are working on the squad for the upcoming Bundesliga season

As early as during the second half of the season, the ‚Knappen‘ announced that they had permanently signed loaned midfielder Rodrigo Zalazar due to a purchase obligation. The new contract for the 22-year-old, who recorded 13 goal involvements (six goals, seven assists) in 30 games during the promotion season, runs until 2026. The ‚Königsblauen" will transfer 1.5 million euros to Eintracht Frankfurt for the Spaniard. Recently, S04 officials also reported that they have permanently signed left-back Thomas Ouwejan, who has distinguished himself in 28 games so far with eight assists and three goals. The Dutchman, who comes from AZ Alkmaar, receives a contract until 2024 and costs two million euros. The transfer of Austrian centre-back Leo Greiml has also been finalised for some time. The 20-year-old talent comes on a free transfer from Rapid Vienna and signs until the summer of 2025.

After the S04 bosses introduced their new head coach, Frank Kramer, the transfer activities were intensified once again. The next new signing was announced just a few days later. Left-back Tobias Mohr will join from 1. FC Heidenheim for a transfer fee of around one million euros. The 26-year-old will also receive a contract until 2025 and will be welcomed with open arms by sporting director Rouven Schröder. „It's no secret that we've known Tobias for some time, have been watching him for a long time and have been fighting for him. We're delighted that we've now been able to successfully complete the signing,“ emphasised the 46-year-old. Mohr has „a really good left foot, with which he can create danger at any time with goals and his own finishes. He also has the right pace to create the necessary space.“ The left-footer joined Heidenheim from Greuther Fürth at the start of 2020 and scored 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 33 league games last season. As many as 43.33 % of German football fans are convinced that Tobias Mohr is a reinforcement for the ‚Royal Blues‘. Only one in four (24.67 %) disagree with this theory.

Florent Mollet is also joining for attacking midfield. The 30-year-old Frenchman is moving from HSC Montpellier to Gelsenkirchen and has signed a contract until 2025. „To be able to compete in the Bundesliga, we need players in our ranks who can give the team experience, stability, and the necessary astuteness. Florent is exactly that kind of player. Florent is a technically very gifted and creative central midfielder who has played over 300 professional games in France and is characterised by a very high level of consistency in his performances,“ enthuses Schröder about the Frenchman. Mollet costs €500,000 and played 35 league games last season, scoring six goals himself and setting up two more. The S04 fans seem enthusiastic about the new signing. In a FanQ survey asking how happy they are about the transfer, they awarded an average of 4.62 out of a possible five stars.

The news about the extension of Dong-gyeong Lee's loan also achieves a similar high rating in the survey. As the ‚Knappen‘ announce, the expiring loan contract of the offensive midfielder from Ulsan Hyundai will be extended by half a year. Furthermore, Schalke will have the option to sign the South Korean permanently afterwards. „We remain absolutely convinced of Dong-gyeong's qualities. After a metatarsal fracture recently slowed him down, he can hopefully show what an excellent technician he is in the first half of the season,“ hopes Schröder. In the past season, the 24-year-old only made one appearance for the ‚Königsblauen‘ due to injury. The purchase obligation of one million euros originally anchored in the loan agreement was not activated because Lee did not complete the required seven games for Schalke 04.

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Tom Krauß, an old acquaintance of new Schalke coach Frank Kramer, is also moving to the Ruhr region. „Tom was my captain in the U18 national team and a very important player. He recognises dangerous situations both defensively and offensively and is therefore able to act rather than just react,“ is how he describes the qualities of the 20-year-old, who was involved in six goals for 1. FC Nürnberg in the last second division season. „Even back then, he was someone who took responsibility and led the way. Qualities that we absolutely need for the fight to stay in the league,“ continued the new head coach. Krauß has been on loan to the club from RB Leipzig for the past two seasons and will get a taste of the Bundesliga in Gelsenkirchen next season. The fee for the new loan deal is said to be 500,000 euros. More than half (60.54 %) of football fans in Germany are certain that the top talent will make his mark at Schalke 04, with only 13.61 % expecting the opposite.

With the signing of Kramer as the new head coach, the rumours surrounding the transfer of Stefan Ortega are increasingly dying down. The 50-year-old and the long-serving Bielefeld goalkeeper have allegedly been at odds since Kramer's time at Arminia. Against this backdrop, a transfer of Alexander Schwolow to the Bundesliga club is becoming increasingly likely. When he moved from Freiburg to Hertha BSC Berlin in 2020, there were previously media reports of an agreement with FC Schalke 04, who could not afford the transfer fee for the now 30-year-old at the time. According to the „WAZ“ newspaper, the goalkeeper could now make a second attempt to move to Gelsenkirchen after all. Although the keeper still has a contract with Hertha until 2025, the transfer fee due this time could be lower than two years ago. The goalkeeper's performances have fluctuated considerably of late, and he also lost his starting place to Marcel Lotka due to a muscle injury. Following Lotka's departure, Oliver Christensen is the new rival for the place between the posts at the capital city club. It remains to be seen who the new coach Sandro Schwarz will favour. In any case, two thirds (67.63 %) of German football fans consider Schwolow to be a good alternative to the current top candidate Stefan Ortega. Only 26.59 % do not trust the 30-year-old to fulfil this role,

Justin Heekeren is to take over the position of stand-in goalkeeper. As officially confirmed by Schalke, the 21-year-old is moving from regional league club Rot-Weiß-Oberhausen to Gelsenkirchen and signing a contract until 2025 with the option to extend for a further year. RWO will reportedly receive a transfer fee of 200,000 euros. Although Heekeren has been earmarked as a backup keeper, the aim is to develop him into a regular goalkeeper. „Despite his young age, Justin has already taken on a lot of responsibility at RWO and established himself as the clear number one in the past regional league season,“ said Schröder, praising his new goalkeeper, „now he will learn with us what it means to hold his own at the highest level in the long term. We will give him the time he needs to do so.“ Ralf Fährmann has been sidelined as a result and is threatened with the stands. A good three quarters (73.47 %) of football fans in Germany agree. Only 14.97 % think that the 33-year-old's story at Schalke is not over yet.

Langsam, aber sicher, nimmt der Bundesligakader des FC Schalke 04 Formen an. Wichtige Leihspieler konnten gehalten und vielversprechende Neuzugänge verpflichtet werden, zudem sind weitere Transfers in Planung. FanQ hat deshalb die deutschen Fußballfans gefragt, wohin der neue Chefcoach Frank Kramer die ‚Königsblauen‘ in der neuen Spielzeit führen wird. Und obwohl nur 37,23 % der Meinung sind, dass der 50-Jährige eine gute Wahl als neuer S04-Trainer sei, rechnet nur ungefähr jeder Fünfte (21,30 %) mit einem direkten Wiederabstieg der ‚Knappen‘, wohingegen 63,31 % die Schalker im unteren und immerhin 7,69 % im gesicherten Mittelfeld sehen.