Donis Avdijaj has not yet played a minute in the Bundesliga. Nevertheless, the 18-year-old from Schalke 04 has already caused more trouble than many a seasoned professional. First, his contract with the fixed transfer fee of 48.5 million euros drew attention, now he annoyed the club bosses with a car accident.
Schalke is not very happy with his super talent at the moment. Born in Osnabrück with Albanian roots, who scored goals on the assembly line in the royal blue youth teams, his development is stagnating. Not just on the pitch. Despite a professional contract, Avdijaj has only been used in preparation for the A-Team, currently the U23 in the regional league is his sporting home.
But even in the fourth division, he did not attract attention with his great footballing feats. Trainer Jürgen Luginger recently complained about the teenager’s lack of attitude. “He has to come to terms with himself first, so he won’t help us,” said the former Bundesliga player. U19 coach Norbert Elgert had already let the talented striker stew on the bench in the past season.
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“Talent alone is not enough,” Heldt has said several times. But all appeals to the 18-year-old to show a professional attitude were not fruitful. “I think it makes sense for footballers to focus on their job and focus on it,” said Heldt when he confirmed Avdijaj’s accident with the luxury car worth 160,000 euros. The new coach Roberto Di Matteo was also not very enthusiastic. “There are certain rules that you have to follow as a player,” said the Italian: “That’s important because the players also represent the club.”
Avdijaj’s decision to play for Albania in the future was also met with incomprehension. “I’d rather have my people behind my back than a foreign one,” was Avdijaj’s reasoning, who went through all German junior national teams.
With the exit clause and the fixed transfer fee at an astronomical level, Schalke wanted to prevent a quick change of his jewel. “There were inquiries for a considerable sum, including from Liverpool FC,” explained Heldt, “we wanted to make it clear that Donis couldn’t be reached.” Apparently, the royal blues have achieved above all that the super talent has lost all traction.