There is no real calm at FC Schalke 04. Club monument Huub Stevens is now expressing sharp criticism of a current Schalke creator.
Only one win from the last six games, 14th place in the 2nd Bundesliga, the coach has just been fired and a successor installed: For FC Schalke 04 it is – once again – a turbulent and difficult season at this early stage. This weekend, the new S04 coach Kees van Wonderen, who replaced the hapless Karel Geraerts, is celebrating his debut – the “Royal Blues” have to play against Hannover 96 on Saturday (from 1 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online). And want to get out of the crisis with the Dutchman.
But the potential for conflict remains. Now a club monument has entered the public discussion – and sharply attacked someone responsible for S04: squad planner Ben Manga. “This team is not easy,” Stevens told Sport1, “I don’t think much of Ben Manga.” And further: “What has he done in the past?”
Manga, who has been at Schalke since May 2024, is actually considered an absolute expert with a good hand when it comes to transfers. During his time as chief scout at Eintracht Frankfurt (2016 to 2021), he will be responsible for signing players who were previously unknown in Germany, such as Daichi Kamada (now at Crystal Palace), Randal Kolo Muani (now at Paris Saint-Germain) and Luka Jović ( now AC Milan), who celebrated their breakthrough with the Hessians and were then sold again at a high price. The 50-year-old hasn’t had any luck at Schalke yet.
Manga’s decision for van Wonderen also “surprised” Stevens: “How did they come across Kees? He did a really good job at Go Ahead Eagles in the Netherlands, but he wasn’t so successful at Heerenveen. Things were unfortunate for him there.” But Stevens also notes: “I’m not critical of Kees, I just see what he can achieve with this team. And I have my concerns about that.” And further: “He called me and we want to meet soon to talk about Schalke. I can tell him a lot.” He knows van Wonderen “as a friendly guy who goes through life openly. If he has any questions, I’m happy to help him.”