New sports director at FC Schalke 04: Frank Baumann competes!

New sports director at FC Schalke 04: Frank Baumann competes!

FC Schalke 04 has taken a significant step in his sporting future: Frank Baumann was hired as the new sports director. This was officially announced today. Baumann succeeds Peter Knäbel, who left the club at the turn of 2023/24. His work at Schalke 04 will begin in the summer of 2025, which gives the club the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming challenges.

Baumann brings comprehensive experience from his previous position as managing director of Sport at Werder Bremen, where he worked from 2016 to 2024. His obligation became necessary because the vacant position of the sports director had delayed strategic decisions at Schalke. The search for a suitable candidate, on the other hand, was difficult because high demands were placed on the person. Talks with other potential successors such as Fredi Bobic and Jörg Schmadtke did not lead to an agreement. Nevertheless, Baumann is considered an experienced candidate to build up long -term structures at FC Schalke 04. A contract term of less than three years appears unlikely.

team and challenges

With the commitment of Baumann, the board of FC Schalke 04 is now complete again. Matthias Tillmann remains as CEO and Christina Rühl-Hamers will continue to have the CFO. This stability in the management sheet could be crucial to successfully master the current challenges, especially after the tumulties that Schalke has experienced since the 2020/21 relegation season.

sports director Youri Mulder already expressed a positive statement about the decision and described Baumann as a “very good choice”. In addition, another face will return to the Schalke rows on Monday: Timo Becker, the defender of Holstein Kiel, will be hired free of charge. Becker, who moved from Schalke to Kiel for 250,000 euros in 2022, has now increased its market value to around 2 million euros and has already achieved three assists in the Bundesliga this season.

A look into the future

The new constellation around Frank Baumann will also raise questions about how this will affect the current responsible, such as interim sports director Youri Mulder and Ben Manga, who is responsible for the management planning. The challenge will be to use both the now structural framework and to lay the basis for future successes.

The coming season will be crucial for FC Schalke 04, especially in view of the last results and the need to bring the audience back to the stadium. Baumann's experience in German football and his good feeling for transfers could help to initiate the turn. Schalke 04 is determined to establish itself again in the Bundesliga and to gain the necessary trust of the fans.