FC Schalke: There is clear intention behind Amine Harit extension

FC Schalke have thrilled their fanbase with the news that Amine Harit will be hanging around for even longer. There is clear intent behind this move.

The news making the rounds across Germany—and the world, for that matter—is that FC Schalke have extended Amine Harit‘s contract through 2024, despite apparent interest from Barcelona and Liverpool.

Harit is the de facto superstar of the club, which meant that, if history was any indication, he was bound to leave. Leon Goretzka just did it, and many more before him. They always leave. Which has been a major issue with Schalke’s attempts at cohesive relevance.

By extending Harit, Schalke have made a statement that those days are dead and over. There is only one type of club that shovels money at their superstars, and that type is a club ready to compete at the top level where they belong.

We’ve been talking about this battle all season. About the need to make a statement contract like this. It was either going to come from Harit or Alexander Nubel, and while it can double up with Nubel, Harit is victory enough (for now, anyway).

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Of course, just because he signed for longer doesn’t mean the battle is over. It never means that. This new deal doesn’t guarantee a stay until 2024, though we’d obviously love to have him, but it does mean that if a team is going to pry him away from us, they will have to pay far more than they would have expected if he hadn’t signed that new deal.

Plus, you don’t sign a new deal if you don’t intend to stay. And you don’t smile about it, to boot.

Schalke have been begging for a core group of players to build around for the long haul. It’s hard to build a successful team around a bunch of older guys, and then talented young ones that keep leaving. There’s no cohesion there, and we saw what it did to the club. We went from second place to a relegation battle in the span of a year.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This club does not get back up top where they belong until they get a manager who is built for the long-term and the ability to keep young phenoms for longer.

Put a check mark by both of those things, hopefully. Die Knappen are back in business.