Report: Ralf Rangnick likely to become sporting director at Schalke 04

Per a new report from kicker, Ralf Rangnick is likely going to become the new sporting director at Schalke 04, who have recently fired a large contingent of their coaching staff and front office. This was originally reported by both Bild and Funke Mediengruppe, but kicker was able to confirm that Rangnick was, in fact, a topic of discussion at Schalke’s supervisory board meeting earlier today.

While Ranginck was discussed, representatives from Schalke said in a statement that “reports that there was a ‘preliminary agreement’ between FC Schalke 04 and Ralf Rangnick or his advisor are not correct.” “Ralf Rangnick is and remains a highly valued expert and a welcome ex-Schalke player,” the statement continued. While Schalke made a point to put out this statement when the story first broke, they, in no way, denied the fact that the were discussing bringing Rangnick in and it’s still suggested that it’s going to happen.

This comes just days after Rangnick had said he was open to replacing Joachim Low as the German National Team manager after this summer’s European Championships as long as “the timing was right.” He was one of the names on the top of the odds lists across Europe to succeed Low next to Bayern Munich’s Hansi Flick.

It’s understood that brining Rangnick to Gelsenkirchen to be the sporting director is an effort lead by former Schalke players currently on staff that are close with the club’s supervisory board. A former manager of Schalke himself, there’s a feeling that Rangnick already understands the values and ambitions of the club, so it would make certain transitions a lot more seamless in the club’s collective effort to rebuild itself after what’s already been a disastrous campaign in the Bundesliga.

Per kicker, bringing Rangnick on board is a plan that’s been in place since the summer of 2020, but at the time, the right pieces were not in place internally to make that happen. Now that Die Königsblauen has reached a new low point, Rangnick might be one of the few things that could help save them and provide necessary continuity in their rebuilding process. Of course, he’s known to want to have a full spectrum of control in his managerial positions, but he already knows the club and inside and out, and there’s already an internal desire to bring him in. Not much stands in the way at this point.

Photo by Ina Fassbender/picture alliance via Getty Images