Schalke: Rabbi Matondo can be what Breel Embolo was supposed to be

Schalke’s biggest sale last summer was Breel Embolo, and it wasn’t an easy departure to take. But Rabbi Matondo can make Embolo disappear.

You won’t find many Schalke fans with bad things to say about Breel Embolo. The Swiss forward was a servant to the club, but the big problem was health. He couldn’t stay on the pitch, so he couldn’t get his feet underneath him.

In response, he only managed ten goals and two assists in the Bundesliga in three years at the club, playing both winger and striker. This year, after an £11m move to Borussia Monchengladbach, he’s managed seven goals and three assists.

That would have made him the No. 1 goal producer at Schalke, had he remained. Meanwhile, we’re still struggling to find a forward capable of being a consistent threat. And while it hasn’t been Rabbi Matondo, it soon can be.

Matondo boasts a lot of similarities with Embolo. He’s highly touted, he’s fast, he’s versatile, and the goals it that he will be a consistent goal scorer in no time.

More from Release The Knappen

• Schalke 04: Arkadiusz Milik would take everything, but he’s worth it
• Schalke 04: Ozan Kabak makes Jean-Claire Todibo pass quietly
• Schalke 04: Omar Mascarell the only boost between now and then
• Schalke 04: David Wagner just has to make it to the end of the season
• Schalke 04: At least we still have Weston McKennie

But it’s the differences that make me more excited about Matondo, as well as eager to ee him step up where Embolo never managed to.

Matondo started much younger. Embolo joined Schalke at 19-years-old and in that first year with us, he managed two goals and an assist in 342 minutes of play. The hype was heavy and we were all ready to see what he could to do next.

Rabbi Matondo joined the club at 18-years-old. In just under two years, he’s just got that one goal in about 794 minutes of play. If you’re concerned that he can’t match Embolo, don’t be. Matondo is just 19-years-old, he’s shown tremendous potential and he fits into the kind of attack that David Wagner seems to veer towards—speed and directness.

I miss Embolo. No doubt. Every time he was on the pitch, you just didn’t know what he was going to do. He was capable of anything. But after three years, that feeling began to sag when the minutes and numbers didn’t pick up.

Matondo’s first objective has to be making us forget Embolo. He’s got the ability, he just needs to keep at it and start shoring up his potential with some good ol’ numbers. That all starts next year. After two years at the club, next year we will get a really good indication of how ready he is to be what Embolo was supposed to be.