FC Schalke 04 is still looking for a fast player for the flank. The S04 fans have a favourite, but he may not join FC Schalke in the winter.
The winter transfer period has been very mixed for the Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04. Instead of a spirit of optimism, new frustration is developing among the supporters ahead of the relegation battle in the rest of the season.
Schalke signed two new players, left-back Jere Uronen and midfielder Niklas Tauer. But Tauer is immediately out injured and other problem areas have not yet been resolved, especially after the departure of Florent Mollet to FC Nantes.
Schalke coach Thomas Reis now wants another striker to replace the injured Sebastian Polter and an offensive winger. Tim Skarke (Union Berlin) is not coming, a commitment has fallen through.
The S04 fans have another favourite anyway. If you follow the social media, they want Darko Churlinov back, who was on loan from VfB Stuttgart in the promotion year and scored two goals and set up six in 22 games.
After promotion, the crowd favourite had to return to VfB, a permanent contract with the Königsblauen fell through. Instead, he moved to Burnley FC in England’s 2nd division for 3.5 million euros. But things are not going well for him on the island. He only played six times in the Championship. He was allowed to play 124 minutes. There is a lot of competition for his position.
Therefore, Schalke supporters hope that he will be allowed to leave England to give S04 a boost. But a Fifa rule forbids a comeback this season. Because one of the many Fifa paragraphs states: “A player may be registered with a maximum of three clubs in a season. During that time, the player is eligible to play in official matches for only two clubs.”
There are exceptions, but they don’t apply to Churlinov. And since he was active in competitive matches for Burnley and at the beginning of the season for VfB Stuttgart, the Macedonian is not allowed to play in German football this season. And that’s only because he was substituted in the 64th minute against RB Leipzig on Matchday 1 in Stuttgart’s 1-1 draw. 26 minutes that prevent the S04 fans’ wish.