Former club icon Julian Draxler believes that FC Schalke 04 will face a year of pure struggle for survival after being promoted again. The world champion has at least not completely ruled out the possibility that he will work for his youth club again.
“I think that if Schalke consistently continues on the path they have chosen, then the club may not be competing for international places tomorrow, nor the day after, but they will rebuild themselves step by step and hopefully establish themselves sustainably in the Bundesliga again,” said Draxler in an interview with “WAZ”.
“It will be very tough in the first season, everyone has to understand from the first second that only staying in the league can be the goal,” added the offensive player, who is currently playing for Al-Ahli in Qatar.
Under coach Miron Muslic, Schalke completed a huge turnaround last season. The Bosnian provided defensive stability and established a winning mentality. At the end of the season we deserved promotion as second division champions.
“The season was great fun and I was particularly pleased that the mood was back in the right direction. People were proud of Schalke and the team again,” said Draxler, looking at the development.
FC Schalke 04 again with Draxler?
At Schalke, the 32-year-old once matured into a top player in his youth. Even at a young age, he excelled in the Bundesliga in the royal blue jersey before making a controversial move to VfL Wolfsburg in 2015.
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The 58-time national player was skeptical about returning to the pitch. “The question is whether I can help Schalke again. In any case, no one has asked me so far. I’m not 22 anymore and I would first have to prove that I can still play at that level.”
“But maybe there will be other roles and tasks at some point, who knows,” suggested Draxler.
In any case, he still has a strong connection to his youth club. “The whole family is a Schalke fan! That sounds hypocritical to some people because they only ever see me as a football millionaire and a mercenary, and I can’t blame them for that,” he explained.
“But the fact is: I’m still a Schalke fan and I was very happy that the club is back where it belongs!” said Draxler.
