It has been known for some time that Schalke 04 wants to sign Maximilian Lüftl as Ben Manga’s successor. Now the collaboration is getting closer.
FC Schalke 04 has not yet presented a successor for Ben Manga, who left the club in September. However, a few weeks ago, this editorial team reported that Maximilian Lüftl was the preferred candidate for the position. Now, the Royal Blues have made significant progress and have reached a contractual agreement with Lüftl. Kicker reported on this on Christmas Day. The 31-year-old Lüftl currently heads the scouting department of second division rivals Hannover 96. According to the report, all contractual details between Schalke and Lüftl have been clarified, and the job title has also been decided. Lüftl is to be given the title “Head of Scouting and Transfers,” while Manga was still working for S04 as “Director of Squad Planning, Scouting, and Knappenschmiede.”
It remains unclear when Lüftl will join the club in Gelsenkirchen. His contract in Hannover expires at the end of the season. However, things could move more quickly, as Lower Saxony club Hannover 96 signed Jörg Schmadtke on Wednesday as the successor to sporting director Marcus Mann, who has moved to RB Salzburg.
Schalke would like to sign Lüftl as soon as possible. However, the autumn champions are under no pressure, as plans for the winter transfer period, which begins on January 1, are underway regardless of Lüftl. The Passau native, who studied in the USA and has already worked for FC Bayern, FC St. Pauli, and TSG Hoffenheim, will primarily be responsible for scouting and transfers. The important role of sporting director Youri Mulder in squad planning will remain unaffected. Meanwhile, Manga remains on the club’s payroll. Schalke parted ways with him in September after a year and a half. “As I announced when I took office, I have used the past few months to get a comprehensive picture of our sporting division. After the end of the main transfer period, we carefully analyzed what is working well and where we see potential. In doing so, we evaluated both the results of the work and the underlying processes,” said sporting director Baumann at the time. Maximilian Lüftl will soon be helping to further develop this potential.