Kees van Wonderen has exuded a lot of confidence since his announcement as the new coach of FC Schalke 04, but he has by no means presented himself as a “magician”.

“I’m no Harry Potter, we can’t do magic, we can’t make what we want to see at the end possible in a short time. But we’re going into the process, and every day we want to take a step,” the Dutchman said in an interview with Schalker Vereins-TV.

Van Wonderen, who is still largely unknown in Germany and has signed a contract until 2026, also provided insights into his style as a coach. “I’m challenging,” said the 55-year-old, who demands that players ‘do everything they can to get better every day,’ van Wonderen elaborated.

But he can also be ”quiet, I can be analytical, but I can also be emotional when necessary. I always say I’m an open book. What I see, I tell you.”

Van Wonderen, who played as a defender mainly for Feyenoord Rotterdam, had already witnessed the 2-2 draw against Hertha BSC on Saturday in the stadium – in the executive box at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen. So far, the Dutchman has been particularly successful in the youth sector – as in 2018, when he won the European Championship with the Oranje U18 team. He has only been on the sidelines in club football since 2020 – initially with Go Ahead Eagles from Deventer, then with SC Heerenveen.

With the Schalke team, which is in 13th place with eight points after eight match days, van Wonderen now has two weeks off due to the international match period to prepare for his competitive debut on October 19 at Hannover 96. “I can’t say right now that everything will be ready in three weeks and then it will work out. Maybe we need more time, maybe it will be faster. We never know, we can’t predict that,” said van Wonderen.