Edin Dzeko (39) on his decision to join Schalke:  “A lot of people said I was crazy”

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Speaking at his first press conference as a Schalke player, Edin Dzeko has revealed his reasoning in moving to the 2.Bundesliga side. 

Yesterday, it was announced that the club had signed the 39-year-old from Fiorentina on a six-month contract until the end of the season. 

On deciding to move to the Veltins Arena, Dzeko said:

“To be honest: I made the contact,”

“A lot of people said I was crazy, but I don’t see it like that – I’m fully committed to Schalke. From my time at Wolfsburg, I know how amazing it is to play here.”

What helped swing Dzeko’s decision was the large Bosnian contingent, not only at Schalke with head coach Miron Muslic, Bosnian-Austrian and Nikola Katic, a teammate of the striker on the Bosnian national team, but former players such as Sead Kolasinac also chimed in: 

“I spoke to Miron, Nikola, Seo and Zlatan Bajramovic, and they all said: ‘Come to Schalke!’ I also had very good talks with Frank Baumann, but in the end, I didn’t really need any convincing.”

How can Dzeko help Schalke?

Considering Dzeko is nearly 40, there are, of course, doubts about whether he can contribute to the Schalke attack. Even if on the pitch he does fail to get going, his experience could be the difference maker for die Köngisblau on whether they get promoted or not.

Currently, Miron Muslic’s side are four points clear at the top of 2.Bundesliga at the beginning of the Rückrunde. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan