He has now had a few appearances in the second division, which is of course great for a 17-year-old player, but in the relegation battle most clubs rely more on experience! At that age you have normal fluctuations in form, which was also visible in his previous appearances, but he did show some potential.
But there are also enough examples where boys of that age were hyped and then completely disappeared into obscurity because they simply couldn’t meet the demands in the long term, so I would simply give Ouedraogo time to develop and not burn him out early as the total hope.
Of course, Schalke wants to make as much money as possible with him, money that the cash-strapped club urgently needs, but the player shouldn’t necessarily be forced to buy certain clauses. At 17 you still have all the time in the world, he has just started his career and is taking his first steps in professional football!
Schalke is currently anything but a top club, the unrest and pressure there can do a lot of damage to such a talent, so the next steps should be carefully considered! In fact, Leverkusen could be a club where he could take the next development steps much faster, at the highest level under a top coach like Alonso and without the existential worries like at Schalke.
I understand what you mean, but chaos or not: Schalke is a huge club and that shouldn’t be underestimated. Ouédraogo will be an important building block for the entire season if he continues like this. Form or not, he’s not doing any worse than any other player. Provided that Schalke can recover to some extent, they will be able to get carried away by their improving form.
Any top talent can disappear into obscurity. If you do that, you shouldn’t support anyone because the risk exists. I find that too negative.
Either way, its market value increases from week to week because it shows its potential even in this difficult situation. Ergo, it is completely understandable that Schalke would want to buy the clause from him.
And just because the clause is bought doesn’t mean he’s tying his soul to the club.
In my opinion, Leverkusen is clearly overestimating, but in principle the environment is definitely more attractive in sporting terms for a talented player. But at that age you shouldn’t forget school, family, friends, etc., which are just as important in shaping your character as what happens on the pitch.