Schalke: Michael Gregoritsch still poses more questions than answers

Michael Gregoritsc has indicated a desire to stay at Schalke on a permanent basis, but with the season spiraling, he has much more to prove.

When FC Schalke landed Michael Gregoritsch on loan as soon as the winter transfer window opened, it was a clear and obvious victory. They were bolstering a sputtering attack and they clearly had a vision for him, given how quickly they secured his signature.

And when he ran rampant against Borussia Monchengladbach in his Schalke debut, everyone saw the magic. He paired so well with Benito Raman and made those two goals look like an undershot—we were capable of more.

Since then, Gregoritsch hasn’t just failed to score, he has failed to make much of an impact whatsoever. He’s gone from starting every match to coming on late as a sub, with one stop in between of always being the first guy subbed off.

Now, Gregoritsch has opened up about his desire to make this move permanent, coming across highly complimentary of the club, despite their present struggles, as well as his own. His words:

"I see my switch to Schalke as a step forward. I want to take the chance now and show what I can do, so I can continue playing here. No matter how things turn out, I don’t want to be accused of not having tried everything. I have a contract [at Augsburg] and would have no problem going back. But currently I’m with Schalke 04, and I’m doing everything I can to help the club and myself. And when you’re at Schalke, you want to stay there.More from Release The KnappenSchalke 04: Arkadiusz Milik would take everything, but he’s worth itSchalke 04: Ozan Kabak makes Jean-Claire Todibo pass quietlySchalke 04: Omar Mascarell the only boost between now and thenSchalke 04: David Wagner just has to make it to the end of the seasonSchalke 04: At least we still have Weston McKennie"

Like I said, pretty complimentary, and I love how much he wants to stay despite the struggles. It would have been just as easy to just glance over the statement and say something like “we’ll see what the future holds.” Gregoritsch didn’t do that.

But on the pitch, he still has questions to provide answers for. It wasn’t that long ago that I wrote about the three things he needed to do in order to survive, and those three things still hold true. The goals are important, but a consistent threat to goal is moreso, and he hasn’t done much to lift the club in that crucial area.

So much so that he’s been replaced by whoever else David Wagner chooses to turn to in the hopes of igniting this attack. But right now, the answer to that question is discernibly not Michael Gregoritsch.

Meaning that it’s up to the Austrian to turn that around before the end of the year if he expects Die Knappen to go through the effort to make his deal permanent. We still have so many lingering, unanswered questions—is he the answer in the attack? Who does he best compliment? Can he be a consistent threat to goal? Is he worth the effort it will take to pry him from Augsburg? And that’s just hitting the big picture questions.

I’m hardcore rooting for Gregoritsch, if for no other reason than what we saw against Monchengladbach. But we have to be practical too.