Who takes over in summer?
A name stands out in Schalke’s search for trainers
April 24, 2025 – 1:10 p.m.Reading time: 3 min.
It has been clear since Wednesday that second division Schalke needs a new coach in summer. Some names are already circulating in the media, one more specific than the other.
Seven coaches have been on the bench at Schalke in the past three years. Nobody could assert themselves in the long term. Kees van Wonderen is the latest name that has to go. The Dutch is gone in summer. This was announced by the second division giant on Wednesday. The rumor mill was bubbling beforehand. At the latest since Frank Baumann’s commitment as a sports director (taking office in June), the first names in the media have been in the media that deal with Schalke 04.
Among them again the name Raúl. The Spaniard was already a topic on Schalke, after all, he played for the royal blue from 2010 to 2012. A big name for a big club. But he hardly fulfills the profile of the desired trainer. According to the TV broadcaster Sky, Schalke is looking for a man who has experience in the 2nd Bundesliga, speaks German and pursues a clear style of play. The latter would apply to Raúl, but he cannot offer second division experience and the German language.
Heiner Backhaus would then also fall out of the grid. The 43-year-old led Alemannia Aachen from the Regionalliga West last season to the 3rd league, and was considered a candidate at Schalke in autumn before Kees van Wonderen was hired. Backhaus comes from the region, is Schalke fan and even has a tattoo of the club on the upper arm, but in the 2nd Bundesliga he was not yet a coach.
The situation at Markus Beginning is completely different. The 50-year-old fulfills all three criteria-and has been available since Tuesday. Because the 1. FC Kaiserslautern surprisingly separated from the beginning. He led the team from 13th place in the promotion battle last year. The Palatinate have only three points behind the relegation place.
The current trend with three defeats in a row was given the club leadership, which is why the start had to start. Good for Schalke 04, because the Cologne native was already a candidate for royal blue before Kees van Wonderen. Sky reported in the past week that there was interest, and at the beginning of good contact with Frank Baumann. The new Schalke sports director brought the trainer to the Weser in the summer of 2021. Despite the scandal around the fake vaccination pass, which led to his resignation in Bremen, the ratio apparently remained intact. He also played together with Schalke’s squad planner Ben Manga for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 1990s. According to the “WAZ”, manga and the beginning have stayed friends since then.
Nevertheless, according to media reports, the beginning preferred to stay in Kaiserslautern, so there had not yet been discussions with Schalke. It could change that could now change with the “red devils”.
At the beginning it would have a lot of second division experience. He sat for 142 games for Holstein Kiel, Darmstadt 98, Werder Bremen, 1. FC Köln and Kaiserslautern on the bench. With Kiel, he almost succeeded from the 3rd league to the Bundesliga, only in the relegation did he fail. He led the later promoted Cologne to the top of the table, but had to go three game days before the end. Darmstadt landed in the upper half of the table, Kaiserslautern too. Bremen, on the other hand, was not only less successful because of the vaccination pass scandal. Overall, however, the beginning of the 2nd Bundesliga has a lot to show. He is also viewed professionally.
After Van Wonderens, Schalke’s CEO Matthias Tillmann had confirmed that one wanted to see a “brave and determined” football. In addition, it should go down to business “intensely and emotionally” against the ball. Attributes that can fulfill the beginning.
This is probably why many fans already expect him. It remains to be seen whether he will be. After all, other candidates that would meet the profile are also moving on the market. Schalke shouldn’t lose too much time, because the squad for the new season must be planned.