Lino Tempelmann is also still under contract at Schalke, but can leave. But he can no longer be seen at Schalke.

Lino Tempelmann is also still under contract at Schalke, but can leave. But he can no longer be seen at Schalke.

André Hechelmann was happy, even proud, when he was able to announce almost exactly one year ago, on July 14, 2023, at the training camp in Mittersill: “He requires the central factors that we want in an ‘eighth’, especially in the playing area.”

That’s what the then sporting director Hechelmann said about summer signing Lino Tempelmann. Everything indicated that Hechelmann had pulled off a coup: Tempelmann’s market value was two million euros, but he only cost around 700,000 euros. The move to S04 also fulfilled his dream of playing for the club close to his heart and he was quickly integrated into the team. A story straight out of the I’ve-always-slept-in-club-bedding fairytale book.

But just one year later, Tempelmann has become a phantom and has not appeared on social media for months. Preparations have been underway for four and a half weeks – Tempelmann has yet to be seen in Gelsenkirchen, even though he is still under contract, neither at performance tests nor at training, matches or Schalke Day.

Only one thing is known: he is to leave Schalke, as he was told in a brief conversation on the sidelines of the season farewell breakfast on May 20. Tempelmann is also said to have been shocked by the way things were handled. The allocation of shirt numbers was the next slap in the face for him: the prestigious “10” was taken away from him, on paper he has the “27”.

Img – FC Schalke – Twente Enschede July 24, 2024

But where is Tempelmann? Communication between player and club is carefully coordinated: Tempelmann would currently not be fit to play due to persistent knee complaints and would have to undergo rehabilitation training, they say. And at his own request, he would train in his home city of Munich and not in Gelsenkirchen – Schalke have complied with this request. This has been the word for weeks. Tempelmann has his peace of mind – and Schalke are happy that another professional who was actually discarded is not regularly appearing on the sidelines of professional training. It would actually be a win-win situation if the initial situation wasn’t so sad.

Schalke: Lino Tempelmann became a transfer flop

Tempelmann played 22 games in the 2024/2025 second division season (one goal) – in a season in which no one other than goalkeeper Marius Müller and striker Kenan Karaman was able to consistently convince, he also fell off and became a transfer flop. While he was a mainstay under coach Thomas Reis and in Karel Geraerts’ first games, his fall from grace began with the 3:5 defeat in Düsseldorf. Tempelmann was also one of the three players who had to leave the pitch with the score at 0:3 in the 33rd minute.

Although he then lost his starting place, he was eager to attack at the winter training camp in Albufeira in January 2024: “Everyone is keen to attack in the new year. We intend to roll up our sleeves and show a different face than in certain games in the first half of the season.” Tempelmann hoped that his knee – which has caused him problems since his youth days – would no longer hurt so often. He had to retire at the end of 2023. “I kept having pain and problems. It was so difficult for me to show what I wanted to show,” he said.

But he didn’t become a favorite of coach Geraerts despite the challenge. He only played from the start twice in the second half of the season – on the second matchday of the second half of the season in Kaiserslautern (1:4, substituted at the break) and in the meaningless last match of the season in Fürth (0:2, substituted after 64 minutes). There was little sign of knee problems. But what exactly does Tempelmann have? How quickly would he be fit to play for a new club? Questions to which nobody wants to give an answer.

Schalke: Tempelmann’s contract is still valid until 2026

A transfer is not imminent – Tempelmann lacks match fitness and match practice. He has had a lost six months in his career, and that at the club close to his heart. However, he is under no pressure to change this hopeless situation quickly. Tempelmann wants to get fit first and not accept the first offer that comes along.

And if Schalke want to get rid of the midfielder to get him off the payroll, it will be expensive: Tempelmann’s well-paid contract is valid for another 23 months until June 2026.