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Ralf Rangnick didn’t want to lie. And he could have unleashed more than he would have liked.
“I’ve been free for eight weeks, so to speak. If I said that Schalke doesn’t interest me at all, I’d be lying,” Rangnick said Sunday morning. Heaven.
Could the veteran RB Leipzig sporting director be the savior many in S04 yearn for after the failed start to the season and the removal of coach David Wagner? As a trainer or possibly in another role?
Rangnick’s words fuel the discussion and put his partner Jochen Schneider, who now finds himself in a key position in Gelsenkirchen, in some trouble. Is a second Rangnick comeback at Schalke a realistic scenario and how could it go? SPORT1 classify.
Ralf Rangnick and FC Schalke have history
As is well known, Rangnick has already coached Schalke twice: from 2004 to 2005 under Rudi Assauer, who died last year, and then again in 2011.
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Despite the unworthy end of the first term, key word: lap of honor, the memory of Rangnick is very positive. In match 1, Schalke fought for the championship, meanwhile, in match 2, Rangnick led Schalke to the semi-finals of the Champions League and the Cup, before retiring due to exhaustion illness.
Chief Rangnick and Malocherklub Schalke: Something worked on this odd couple at first glance. That is why there is no talk of a new edition for the first time.
And especially in the current situation, where the club is urgently looking for a personality who has proven competence and a heart for the club, Rangnick seems like a real solution. Definitely a solution in addition to that of Heaven Manuel Baum, named as the supposed lead candidate, looks quite pale.
Guido Schäfer: “No more loving Schalke”
But is Rangnick, who finally exited the Red Bull Soccer project in the summer, really an alternative? Former professional and journalist Guido Schäfer, who followed Rangnick’s work in Leipzig for a long time, doesn’t expect it.
“He’s in the mood for life, but not for Schalke anymore,” the chief reporter said. Leipziger Volkszeitung am CHECK24 double pass in SPORT1. Rangnick would need “five transfer periods to see some light in the tunnel, with all his love for Schalke 04”. Instead, expect a job in the English Premier League.
Indeed, it is a declared dream of Rangnick, which he might have to give up if, at the age of 62, he becomes involved again in Schalke’s gigantic project. The prospect of a late crowning of a coaching career at a top international club (there was also a quasi-deal with AC Milan recently) could be more tempting than a rescue mission in the Ruhr area.
The power structure with Schneider and Reschke would have to change
The other open question is: Do the current Schalke bosses want Rangnick?
It is well known that someone has a strong personality and wants to have a voice in sports, whether as a coach or as a sports director. Does he fit into Schalke’s power structure?
Sports director Jochen Schneider, who used to work for him at RB, would have to accept Rangnick’s design requirements, as would technical director and squad planner Michael Reschke.
This can get complicated and is therefore a hindrance. The same applies to the financial question: in salary negotiations, Rangnick would have to be very accommodating to the club, which has gotten into serious difficulties.
Rangnick relativizes the confession
Rangnick will be watching all this. Not in vain has he complemented his sincere confession that there is a fundamental interest with some relativizations.
“Right now it’s hard for me to imagine going back to Schalke for the third time,” he said.
An assessment that can still change. But a lot of things will have to happen for that.
