Kicker Report: All Schalke players intend to play the rest of the season, Schmedes may join front office
After visiting the team training camp in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday, Kicker magazine Schalke 04 correspondent Toni Lieto reported that no players wished to take advantage of sporting director Peter Knäbel's offer to refuse to play in the final four fixtures of the season.
The club's search for additional administrative assistance also takes on a more concrete form.
It looked as if the unadulterated hell that was the Schalke 04 camp was set to get still worse yesterday when reports of two positive COVID tests surfaced late in the afternoon. By late evening, however, it was later confirmed that these were in fact "false positives" and that the entire team and staff all tested negative.
The club's search for additional administrative assistance also takes on a more concrete form.
There appears to be more good news emanating from the grounds around the Veltins Arena. The Schalke correspondent for German footballing magazine Kicker noted in a Wednesday evening article that no players intended to take advantage of Peter Knäbel's offer to sit out the rest of the season after disgruntled fans launched a disturbing attack on the team following last week's relegation.
Germany's Bild-Zeitung published a report this weekend claiming that high value talents Mark Uth, Amine Harit, and Suat Serdar did not wish to step on the pitch again following the violence. According to Kicker's Toni Lieto, this is false. One week removed from the incident, all players intend to fulfill their contracts. No one has approached Knäbel with a desire not to play.
Regarding Schalke's imminent appointment of a new sporting director, Lieto adds another name to that of club youth coordinator Mathias Schober. Apparently, VfL Osnabrück managing director Benjamin Schmedes is also being considered for the position.
As is sometimes the case in German football, Knäbel, Schmedes, and Schober may all end up working together with different "boss" titles.