Schalke 04 At the low point: Change of coaches and financial concerns threaten!

Schalke 04 At the low point: Change of coaches and financial concerns threaten!

Veltins-Arena, 45886 Gelsenkirchen, Deutschland - On May 18, 2025, the last matchday of the 2024/25 season took place in the 2nd German Bundesliga, where FC Schalke 04 had to compete against SV Elversberg. In the Veltins Arena, the mood was euphoric, the fans applauded every ball contact of their players and let Laola waves pull through the stadium. Despite the enthusiastic support, Schalke left the field with a 2-1 defeat and ended the season with a total of 16 defeats. This marks the worst season in the 121-year history of the club. The club has been on a downward trend since the 2017/18 season, except for the second division championship 2021/22, and is now faced with a fundamental change to prevent another downward spiral.

A central aspect of upheaval is the change of coach. After only 209 days, Kees van Wonderen was released as head coach and replaced by Miron Muslic. Muslic is already the twelfth trainer who takes responsibility for the team within five years, with only Dimitrios Grammozis stayed in office for more than a year. As reported laola1.at, the coaching decisions at Schalke were often made, which led to a noticeable lack of continuity.

difficult framework conditions

Schalke is also faced with serious squad problems. The high fluctuation and the few successful transfers made the team weaker. The team has seen several goalkeepers in recent years, which further exacerbates the already tense situation in the goalkeeper position. The financial situation of the association is also alarming: debts of around 149.8 million euros are putting to the till. Despite a profit of 6.6 million euros in the first half of the season, the equity regulation only had to be observed, which endangers economic stability. Measures have already been taken, such as the degradation of ex-scout Ben Manga and the appointment of Frank Baumann as the new sports director.

However, the number of spectators remains a ray of hope for the club. With an average viewer of 61,667 per game, Schalke holds the third highest value in Germany. High income from concerts in the stadium also prevented a possible point deduction. Despite these income, the funding cooperative for the financial support of the association has not yet achieved the hoped -for income. The summer of 2025 will be crucial for the future of the association, since mistakes from the past cannot be made again.

Change of coach in the league

The trainer change situation in the 2nd league is eventful this season. There were already 13 change of coach, including the layoffs by Karel Geraerts and Kees van Wonderen, both of whom were responsible for Schalke. Interim coach Jakob Fimpel took over in the last two match days, while the club is also looking for a new head coach to stay competitive in the next promotion race. Frank Baumann and Ben Manga are in charge of this matter and have already created a shortlist of potential trainers. Talks with candidates are intensified, even if there is currently no clear top candidate for the position, such as [90min.de] (https://www.90min.de/schalke-shortlist-steht-klub-klub-decision-made-trainer search).

Among the candidates on the shortlist are Lukas Kwasniok by SC Paderborn and Christian Titz from 1st FC Magdeburg. Kwasniok announced his farewell to the SCP for the summer, while the situation around Titz remains unclear. The deployment height for the new trainer could also have an impact on the association's squad planning and is being pursued.

Schalke 04 faces challenging months in which essential decisions have to be made in order to lead the association out of the current misery. The upheaval and the search for a stable trainer solution are of central importance.