Let's see how well he does. Ayhan is an example that not all talents will make it at Schalke. I'm also interested in seeing how much Kehrer will play. Nothing new about transfers. Looks like Stambouli is the most likely target for dmid. Can't say anything about an additional attacking player, only that we're still looking for one.
Diego Rolan and Munir El Haddadi were mentioned in the past week, but seems like those are now off. Kicker ran a good article about Heidel's interpretation of the current transfer market situation. http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/...heidel-erklaert-fluch-und-segen-der-0044.html
According to @DiMarzio #Schalke and #PSG have came to an agreement for #Stambouli a fee for around €10Million. #S04 #Schalke #Schalke04— Schalke News (@Schalke04FCNews) August 22, 2016 Although there is also an alternate report out there that Nabil Bentaleb from Tottenham is close to undergoing his medical. Not sure which is more accurate right now.
There are also rumours that put Milan ahead of us signing Stambouli. I have at the moment no clue what will happen. Stambouli is the most persistent story going around but I can't see why it should take so long to sign him.
Looks like Bentaleb will be coming for up to 20m. I don't really know him but he doesn't look like the experienced anchor Heidel was initially looking for. Could still be a good transfer. Now we need another attacking player, preferably someone with a lot of pace. Our attack looked incredibly slow last year, and Sane leaving hasn't exactly made it any faster.
Looks like both, Stambouil and Bentaleb, will come to Schalke. I wonder what will happen on the wings. We look very thin there.
Heidel on a splurging mood?! Bild reports that both Bentaleb and Stambouli will be signed. Bentaleb has already passed his medical and will be officially announced tomorrow. It will be a one-year loan with a purchase option of 19 Mio. While Stambouli is set to arrive in Gelsenkirchen tomorrow to undergo his medical. He's expected to sign a 4-year deal until 2020 and cost 8.5 Mio. Sane's replacement soon to follow in the next few days. http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/schalke/schnuert-transfer-doppelpack-47483726.bild.html
Sounds like you guys will sign at least one more new attacking player to replace Sane. Avdijaj when he returns from injury can also be another option as a winger.
Avdijaj sounds more like a SS than a winger. I don't think he is all that fast, probably faster than Huntelaar but no speedy winger. It is the general lack of speed in the attack which is worrying me.
Serge Gnabry being linked as one of the possible attacking options http://www.ligainsider.de/serge-gnabry_4815/will-schalke-gnabry-verpflichten-156202/
Thoughts on the Europa League group draw? Schalke, RB Salzburg, Krasnodar, Nice Your 3 opponents look pretty even amongst each other, but Schalke should have the advantage in terms of individual match ups.
I doubt we're really interested in Gnabry. Heidel was asked about him at the pressconference yesterday and his answer was the usual blabla good player, everybody in the Bundesliga is interested in him etc. I guess that and his good olympic tournament are the reasons for these rumours. Yes, look like a pretty even group. I'd say we should be the favorites in pretty much every match but I don't think the gap in quality is all that big. We could lose to anyone anywhere in that group.
Nice cup draw against our friends from Nürnberg. Should be a good game with a decent chance of advancing to the next round. I hope we can go deep in the cup, has been pretty disappointing in the last couple of years.
Ukrainian media reports that Evgen Konoplyanka is set to join Schalke from Sevilla. http://www.ligainsider.de/evgen-konoplyanka_2743/vor-wechsel-zum-fc-schalke-156527/
UPDATE: @footballua_tv reporting that Konoplyanka is now holding talks with #Schalke and is going to fly to Gelsenkirchen today. #SevillaFC— Ukrainian Football (@UkraineFooty) August 28, 2016
Konoplyanka would be the needed big offensive signing. If one considers Sane the replacement for Draxler and this year Embolo as Sane's replacement, then we were still missing someone to replace Farfan. I think that loss of quality was really felt. Konoplyanka would finally close that whole. The match against Frankfurt was incredibly bad, especially the first 20-30Min were absolutly horrible. I guess it is no wonder, if most of the team was the same as the one that underwhelmed last year. I just hope that things will improve when the new players get more playing time. Bentaleb looked fantastic in the 20mins he played. I'd guess that Geis might be the odd man out, once Goretzka and Stambouli are ready to play. Granted playing Di Santo as a right winger looks like an unnecessary mistake. Can't imagine how anybody could see good things coming from that.
Heidel was on Kicker's sport talk show alongside Honigstein and Hitzlsperger today. Aside from many intelligent comments on the whole EPL money scare issue and insight into the workings of modern transfer business, he revealed that Schalke is still trying to conclude one additional transfer until deadline day on Wednesday. As usual he dropped no hints on who the player might be. However he commented that it's good his transfer mobile didn't ring during the broadcast. Depending on how much you want to read into such comments it might indicate that the deal is already very advanced. I have much respect for him and his work. I hope he will help Schalke regain its spot in the top group of German football.
Daniel Caliguri from Wolfsburg is another name that's being floated on the transfermarket. He's a serviceable option to have in rotation but not the impact player Konoplyanka would be. If Heidel is looking to commit one final transfer to strengthen the attack, the latter would be a much more worthwhile consideration in the long run.
It is indeed Konoplyanka and thank god not Caliguri. Heidel had an incredible transfer period this summer.
The coach is the only thing I would criticize him for; but we'll see how Weinzierl does with more talent to work with. Maybe he adopts a more fluid style now that his talent is better suited for it. Now can he please send Avdijaj to Gladbach so that he can learn from Raffael?
Why? The poor boys! We have to save them from Skripnik and Baumann, so no can do. Avdijaj is injured and won't be back for quite some time. Of course we have to see how everything will develop. The best plans might not pan out, but it is quite a difference compared to Heldt selling Draxler in the last week of the period and then not being able to sign a replacement. I'm not sure which better coach was available. Heldt tried to sign Tuchel but that was a long time ago. I don't see another coach in the Bundesliga who would be clearly better than Weinzierl but of course he has to prove himself at a new club.
Nah, it's all good. We're about to sign Gnabry, and have him developed just like we did with Oztunali, Vestergaard, De Bruyne, Sokratis, etc from recent years.