FC Schalke 04: Naldo ‘always ready’ for a return to the Royal Blues
FC Schalke 04 may need experienced defensive help during the winter transfer window after emergency center back option Weston McKennie dislocated his shoulder against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Die Knappen picked up three more points to maintain their hold on the fourth and final Champions League spot over Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga table, but their Matchday 15 win over Eintracht Frankfurt came at a cost.
Midfielder and emergency defender Weston McKennie suffered a serious injury in the first 15 minutes of the match and had to be stretchered off with a dislocated shoulder. He joins center backs Benjamin Stambouli and Salif Sane as long-term absences for the Royal Blues.
With McKennie injured, Schalke had to play a back three of Omar Mascarell, Bastian Oczipka, and Ozan Kabak due to Matija Nastasic also being out with a knee injury. It worked out, but Schalke barely held on to their clean sheet with 10 men in a 1-0 victory.
David Wagner could ask for defensive help in the winter transfer window, because Schalke only have one healthy center back in Kabak. And Sane won’t be back until late in the Ruckrunde, with Stambouli returning sooner. Schalke hope Nastasic can return before the end of 2019, but with his on-and-off injury issues, there are no guarantees.
So if Schalke do look for an experienced center back, they could call up an old friend in Naldo, who was instrumental in the team’s second-place finish in 2017-2018. For what it’s worth, the set-piece specialist and Bundesliga legend told Sky Sports that he’s “always ready” to make a return to Gelsenkirchen.
Monaco defender Naldo on a potential return to Schalke, to Sky: “I’m always ready.” #S04 #ASM
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) December 16, 2019
Naldo is currently playing for AS Monaco, who are currently ninth in Ligue 1 whereas Schalke are fourth in the more competitive Bundesliga. The 37-year-old hasn’t done anything of note for Monaco this season, but when he last played for Schalke, he scored a whopping seven goals with two assists in the 2017-2018 campaign.
Next. 5 things we learned from Schalke's win over Eintracht. dark
Schalke don’t need to break the bank on a center back in the winter, because they are actually loaded at the position. Sane, Stambouli, Kabak, and Nastasic are all Bundesliga-quality starters, with McKennie showing ability at the position as an emergency option. They are four-deep at center back, but they have simply been incredibly unlucky with injuries at the position.
Naldo, however, is an option that makes sense. He’s familiar with the team, he’d come cheap, he’s a leader, and he can bring a wild card trait for Wagner with his goal-scoring ability.