Schalke could loan Mark Uth to Köln for another season

Although Mark Uth never hit the ground running for FC Schalke 04, the experienced Bundesliga striker has been a revelation in a more supportive role in 1. FC Köln’s attack.

FC Schalke 04 nad 1. FC Köln agreed to a loan deal over the winter transfer period in which Mark Uth returned to his hometown club on a six-month loan. While the deal contained no option to buy and a friendly handshake deal between sporting directors that Uth would not play in their head-to-head Rückrunde fixture (which Köln won 3-0 anyway), there has been speculation that Uth could stay at Köln for longer.

Now, Sport Bild is reporting that Die Effzeh are considering an attempt to extend Uth’s loan by one more year, via BuLiNews.com’s Laura Brandt.

Köln have gotten far more mileage out of the 28-year-old attacker than Schalke ever did. The German forward has scored four goals with four assists in just seven appearances for Die Effzeh, whereas he did not score or assist across eight appearances for the Royal Blues. Furthermore, Uth started all seven games for Köln for a total of 600 minutes, whereas Uth started in only half of his eight games with the Gelsenkirchen club, accruing 355 minutes.

After struggling to get involved in games and hit the target at Schalke, Uth has been a menace as a playmaker with the Billy Goats. He is scoring wonderful goals, creating chances, and being a positive influence for a suddenly-dangerous side.

Uth is motivated in his hometown, picking up an astounding three key passes per game in this creative role. And defensively, the 28-year-old has been putting in real work with 1.4 tackles per game, per WhoScored.com.

Since Uth is playing so well and enjoying his football in Köln, it makes a ton of sense for the club to want another year from him. But Schalke may look at his play in the attacking midfield and see him as an asset to the Royal Blues, noting they refused to attach an option to buy in his loan deal to the Billy Goats.

It’s an interesting situation, since Uth is a better fit at Köln and seems happier there. The decision could ultimately come down to his preference, though Schalke may have picked up a trick from Köln by watching him blossom in a tweaked role.