FC Schalke: Amine Harit a war that won’t be won any time soon

FC Schalke are facing more competition to keep hold of Amine Harit, but even if they win this battle, it’s an ongoing war that needs constant attention.

There is one thing that FC Schalke can’t seem to overcome in recent years, and that is the eternal struggle of holding on to star players. They have unfortunately gone the route of a feeder club lately, selling off major players right when they reach that point when they need to decide where to spend their prime years.

Some even leave for free, which is the worst return on investment of all.

Think Leon Goretzka, Max Meyer, Sead Kolasinac, Joel Matip, the list goes on, and it’s a list that many Schalke fans would rather pretend doesn’t exist. It’s better than having to face all the players that could have still been here.

Amine Harit is reaching that point, and his international acclaim is catching up with him as well. Given his slick and suave style of play, the way he makes everything look so easy, and the ever-present threat of scoring and/or assisting, this was always going to happen.

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So now the war begins.

In the last two weeks alone, Barcelona and Liverpool have been reportedly keeping tabs on him. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Combine FC Schalke’s recent history of letting players go right as they hit their prime with Harit’s exponentially increasing value on the pitch and it was just a matter of time. And even if they keep him this year… and next year… this is a war that won’t be won any time soon.

That said, it is a war that needs to be won at some point. If Schalke want to get back into the level of play that they belong, they are going to have to figure out a way to keep hold of players just like Harit, so why not start with Harit?

Sure, we’ve had other players who have been at the same level that Harit is at, and going to be at, but there’s a thing called progress, and it’s what the club and players both need to overcome this war together.

It won’t end any time soon. We will fight the Harit war as long as he is at the club, and the same will come with the next great young player, but at the end of the day, it all starts with one. And Amine Harit could be that one.