Official | Peter Knäbel to leave Schalke

Schalke have this morning confirmed that Peter Knäbel, board member for sport, has informed the club that he will leave his position at the end of the current season.

“For me, it was important to get things sorted in good time, which is why I spoke to Axel Hefer a few weeks ago to tell him about my future plans. I want to move back to Switzerland to be with my family,” Knäbel told the club’s website.

“During the remainder of my time here, I will still be in daily contact with head coach Karel Geraerts and sporting director André Hechelmann to support them, whilst I will also finish off important projects, including one regarding digitisation. I will do all I can to help Schalke 04 be successful until my final day of work here.”

Knäbel joined Schalke as a director for the academy and development back in 2018 and his remaining time at the club will be used to prepare for the future.

“As already announced, an in-depth analysis will take place during the winter break, in which the sporting leadership will look to find out what has prevented the first team from continuously developing over the past few seasons. The supervisory board will then consider the results when deciding on the future structure and personnel for our sporting leadership,” said Axel Hefer, chairman of the supervisory board.

He added: “The supervisory board has full trust in sporting director André Hechelmann and head coach Karel Geraerts. Together with their teams, they will prepare for the winter transfer window and then deal with it alongside the board and supervisory board as always.”

Knäbel’s time at the club has seen positive results in the academy setup with “far more top talents.” One of these being Assan Ouédraogo (17), who has played 11 league games this season and is already attracting attention from Europe’s top clubs.

Following their relegation from the Bundesliga, Schalke have endured a difficult start to their 2. Bundesliga campaign with the club currently occupying the relegation playoff with just four wins in 13 games.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder