Martin Wasinski probably has no future at FC Schalke 04. The young defender hardly played a role in the test matches.

At the end of FC Schalke 04’s summer training camp in the Stubai Valley, it is becoming increasingly clear that defender Martin Wasinski has no future with the Royal Blues. The 21-year-old defender was loaned back to his native Belgium in the second half of last season because he was unable to gain a foothold in the 2nd Bundesliga. Even under new coach Miron Muslic, the former Belgian junior international is still far from the starting line-up.

Wasinski sat on the bench for the entire 90 minutes of the 0-0 draw against Panathinaikos Athens in the first test match of the training camp, and he was not scheduled to play in Saturday’s match either. He did not play in the 2-3 defeat to Wehen Wiesbaden, and although he came on as a substitute in the closing stages of the 1-0 win over St. Gallen, it was only because Ilyes Hamache had to be taken off due to injury. “We signed him to have him available in case something happened,” said Miron Muslic about the defender. “But I also have a few other players who are clearly ahead of him.” Clear statements from the coach.
The rather slight Belgian has numerous competitors for the three central defensive positions in Timo Becker, Nikola Katic, Felipe Sanchez, Mertcan Ayhan, Steve Noode, and Mika Khadr, whom the coach clearly rates more highly. Schalke would like to let Martin Wasinski go this summer, even though he is under contract until 2028.
The Gelsenkirchen club already offered KRC Genk’s reserve team an option to buy the defender in the winter, but the Belgians did not want to sign Wasinski on a permanent basis. At present, his only realistic prospect of playing time at Schalke 04 would be in coach Jakob Fimpel’s U23 team. Appearances in the 2nd Bundesliga are a distant prospect.

He played exactly once for Schalke’s first team in the league last year: in a 0-2 defeat at Karlsruher SC in September 2024 – after which he was heavily criticized by then-coach Karel Geraerts.