Official: Grammozis appointed as Schalke's fifth head-coach of 2020/21
FC Schalke 04 officially confirmed their fifth trainer of the season late Tuesday evening. After David Wagner, Manuel Baum, Huub Stevens, and Christian Groß prowled the Schalke sidelines this season, Dimitrios Grammozis will get his turn Friday evening against Mainz.
The Wuppertal native receives a contract through 2022, suggesting the club plans to stick with him even if relegated to the second division.
Reports from reliable sources earlier in the day proved correct. Bundesliga veteran Dimitrios Grammozis will take the reins at FC Schalke 04 in time for Friday's fixture against fellow relegation candidates FSV Mainz 05.
The Wuppertal native receives a contract through 2022, suggesting the club plans to stick with him even if relegated to the second division.
Schalke interim sporting director Peter Knäbel issued a statement saying that the club felt confident they had "found the right coach for the final third of the season." Given Schalke's well-publicized financial problems, one assumes that they will at least attempt to honor this contract even in the event of relegation.
"I have great enthusiasm for this task," Grammozis noted in a statement, "I will use my short time before the first league match to, together with my coaching staff, to get a complete a picture of the team as possible. Of course, we also want to start with a win against Mainz."
Grammozis' coaching staff will retain Mike Büskens, who ran the club training sessions the past two days. Additionally, Sven Piepenbrock will join as the new trainer's direct assistant.
Schalke also announced that assistant coaches Naldo and Onur Cinel will be moved to the youth squad.