The transfer of Felipe Sánchez to Schalke 04 is on the home straight. At the training camp, squad planner Ben Manga spoke about the defensive hopeful
The small Austrian town of Mittersill in the Kitzbühel Alps was shrouded in thick cloud cover on Monday morning, but the FC Schalke 04 professionals didn’t even notice. When they arrived at the Schlosshotel, their team accommodation for seven days, at around 2.30 p.m., the sun was already shining. 28 players plus the coaching team and support staff have traveled with them – but that’s not all. The 20-year-old Felipe Sanchez will be joining them in Austria. This was confirmed by Schalke’s chief squad planner Ben Manga
Sanchez completed his medical check in Gelsenkirchen on Monday morning “without any problems”, said Manga. “There are still one or two small issues to discuss. I think he’ll be there on Tuesday.” Sanchez would sign a long-term contract. The transfer fee is in the six-figure range, around 800,000 euros according to our information. However, Schalke had to make compromises, which is why the agreement with Argentinian first division club Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata includes a number of bonuses plus a high sell-on fee.
Sanchez is a Manga transfer, he has known and watched Sanchez for many years. But he warns against expecting too much. “He’s coming to Germany from abroad, so you have to give him a little time. He has to learn the language and the style of soccer will also be different to what he has played so far. He has everything he needs to help us down the stretch,” said Manga.
The squad planner has somewhat overshadowed sporting director Marc Wilmots internally. Schalke spent over three million euros on Sanchez and top striker Moussa Sylla (Pau FC) – two players who were unknown before Manga’s arrival at the Royal Blues. They are Ben Manga players, a term Manga himself likes to use. That means: young, unknown, in Manga’s opinion extremely talented and with the potential to be sold on for a lot of money. But does it really work? It’s a risk for Schalke to put all their eggs in one basket.
Schalke: Two new integration officers
The two new Schalke integration officers Juan Oburu (39) and Giuseppe “Joe” Miraglia (49) are expected to play a key role in the integration of Sanchez. The duo started at Schalke at the start of the summer preparations and will help foreign players at Schalke – with simple things such as translation during training, but also with everyday matters after moving to a foreign country.