Schalke 04 starts: Young team brings a breath of fresh air into play!

Schalke 04 starts: Young team brings a breath of fresh air into play!

In Gelsenkirchen there is currently a fundamental change in FC Schalke 04, which causes a sensation under the new squad planner Ben Manga. The average age of the team has currently been significantly reduced, which indicates a targeted strategy to rejuvenate the team.

until the 2023/24 season, Schalke with an average age of 26.38 years was one of the oldest teams in the second Bundesliga. Only a few other clubs such as the 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Eintracht Braunschweig were more experienced on average. Ben Manga, who has recently acted as a director for squad planning, chouting and the offspring, expressed his concerns about the age structure of the squad in an interview with Transfermarkt.de: "The age structure was not good in my eyes. Of course you also need experienced players in football, but if in the end 80 percent of the squad is based on experienced players, a component is missing."

changes in the squad

Under Mass management, it was decided to sign younger and developing players in order not only to upgrade the team, but also to increase the chances of breaking through new talents. "It needs a suitable mix," added Manga, apart from the almost worthless exits, the players had the players at the age of 26.1, while the new additions have an average of only 22.1 years. The new settings also include experienced players such as Amin Younes and Christopher Antwi-Ajedej, both of whom are 30 years old. Tomas Kalas and Kenan Karaman also extended their contracts.

An example of the success of this strategy is Moussa Sylla, which has been hired for around 2.5 million euros and whose market value has already increased significantly. However, the dynamics of integration into the team are not so quick for every young player. Felipe Sanchez, who showed positive approaches against Magdeburg, had to pay tuition when playing against Karlsruhe. However, those responsible have decided to give the Youngstern time to develop, even if this can lead to sporting difficulties.

The future of Schalke

The squad now comprises 13 professionals who are 21 years or younger, which will massively influence the future of the association. The interim coach Jakob Fimpel has already set talents such as Taylan Bulut and Max Grüger to integrate the young players into the first team. With the planned rejuvenation and in particular the ongoing coaching search, the club faces decisive challenges. A successful coach could be the key to further advance the newly formed team. A solid coaching choice will therefore be essential to end the chaos on Schalke and to ensure that the new talents like Sylla will remain the rule and not the exception in the future.

FC Schalke 04 consciously chose this radical change of direction, which is related to the fact that the association is faced with considerable financial difficulties. It will be exciting to observe how this courageous strategy will bear fruit in the coming season and whether the placements can be satisfactory, despite the inevitable setbacks that go hand in hand with such a conversion.