Struggling 2. Bundesliga side Schalke 04 are set to unveil two significant figures tomorrow. As has now been confirmed by sporting director Youri Mulder shortly before kickoff against Ulm on Sunday, seasoned German football administrator Frank Baumann will be introduced as the club’s new board-member-for-sport on Monday.
Baumann constitutes a very big name in German footballing circles. As a Werder Bremen front office professional for over a decade between 2009 and 2021, the 49-year-old garnered an excellent reputation as a top German footballing administrator.
It finally appears as if die Königsblauen have landed a competent personnel executive for the first time since axing virtually everyone tasked with building the team halfway through the disastrous 2020/21 relegation campaign.
In an editorial on the subject, Kicker’s Thiemo Müller lauds Baumann’s appointment as a “risky, yet historic opportunity” to shift the tone of management in Gelsenkirchen. Mulder himself called Baumann “a very good choice” in his interview with Sky Germany.
On the player front, another new addition may be revealed on Monday. Sky and numerous other sources report that Holstein Kiel defender/wingback Timo Becker is headed back to his old academy side. Mulder also indirectly confirmed that only a medical and a signature are missing.
Becker will join on a free from his current top flight side and receive a generous contract by second division standards. The 28-year-old brings with him the experience of 54 top flight appearances for Schalke and Kiel.
Since being sold by Schalke to Kiel for €250,000 in 2022, Becker has increased his estimated market value to €2m. He’s recorded three assists for Marcel Rapp’s Storks in the top flight this year.
