Max Kruse is a guest on the Sport1 programme “Doppelpass” on Sunday. He triggered a heated debate and was confronted with Schalke.

Max Kruse (34) has been without a club since November 2022. The former international played for Union Berlin from summer 2020 to January 2022 before returning to VfL Wolfsburg. There, he was sorted out at the beginning of this season for disciplinary reasons. After his contract was terminated during the World Cup break, the striker was unable to find a new employer. Schalke also thought about the striker, but S04 did not want to sign him.

Max Kruse on Schalke’s interest: “Don’t want to name names”.

On Sunday, the club-less striker will be a guest on the Sport1 programme “Doppelpass”. When asked by presenter Florian König, Kruse did not want to concretely confirm the interest of Schalke. “I don’t want to mention any club names,” said the 34-year-old, who did, however, hint that bottom-of-the-table Schalke were a topic. “There were interested parties and talks. There were also one or two clubs that are currently not playing the role they had hoped for.”

Obstacles to a Bundesliga switch were mostly his presence on social media or the possible reactions within the clubs in question, he said. “Some were afraid to do it.”

Schalke coach Thomas Reis had recently spoken openly about the Kruse personnel matter. Exclusively sporting reasons would have persuaded him not to agree to a transfer. “Max Kruse is rather unlikely. He has great merits and I know that he is a very, very good footballer. But still, it’s a different type of player. And we said we want to get some pace in,” Reis said during the winter break.

In Doppelpass, Kruse stressed that he still had the quality to continue his Bundesliga career. However, sporting matters would not always play a role in the assessment of his person. His career triggered a heated discussion in the talk show. There was criticism from Bild journalist Alfred Draxler. He accused him of not having shown loyalty to the club with his eight changes. “You are not doing football any good,” Draxler said in the direction of Kruse. He was particularly critical of Kruse’s move from Union Berlin to “factory club” VfL Wolfsburg last winter.

“You can have your opinion,” Kruse countered. The 14-time international admitted that the switch “sucked”. However, he justified his decision. “The economic aspect played a big role in the Wolfsburg transfer, I stand by that. In addition, I assumed at the time that I would be working with Florian Kohfeldt, with whom I had a good relationship in Bremen.”

Stefan Effenberg backs Max Kruse

Kruse received backing from Sport1 pundit Stefan Effenberg. “You have done the Bundesliga good,” said the ex-national player. Kruse had “performed everywhere and made the difference.” In addition, Effenberg praised Kruse’s open manner, which is often criticised. “He is a type of which there are not many left. I was like that, too. Everything else in football is so soft,” Effenberg said.