Schalke: Ralf Fahrman vs Markus Schubert preferable anyway

Schalke had to readdress their keeper situation with the unceremonious departure of Alexander Nube, but the result is preferable anyway.

Maybe you missed the countless references I made over the past few weeks to being disgusted that Alexander Nubel is becoming another Leon Goretzka. If you did, just know that I am, in fact, disgusted. I was equally thrilled when David Wagner stripped Nubel of the armband and the starting job, making Markus Schubert Schalke‘s No. 1 keeper.

But it still presented a problem. With the needs that Schalke has to address in the coming transfer window and what little resources they had, find a new keeper, either No. 1 or No. 2, did not need to be a top priority.

Schubert had shown glimpses of being everything his hype propped him up to be, but the few slip-ups he did have made it crucial to identify a No. 2 that could challenge for No. 1 if not just take it outright.

The answer came really quickly—Ralf Fahrmann. The long-time servant to the club who may well be one of the best keepers in club history.

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Fahrmann had been dealt on loan to Norwich City to pave the way for Nubel, but with Nubel doing the Goretzka, the door was opened for Fahrmann to make his return to the job that wasn’t supposed to be there for him.

Just like that, the solution was there—Ralf Fahrmann and Markus Schubert rather than Nubel and a clear No. 2.

So what?

So we now have a situation where we’ve got a storied veteran of the Royal Blues competing against someone who wants to be there someday. Remember, Schubert chose Schalke when other clubs, like Arsenal, were interested. He wants to be here, he wants to be our No. 1. Ralf Fahrmann wants to be here, he wants to be our No. 1. Having these two pitted against each other will help them both get better, as internal competition always does, and it will ensure that if one does slip up, we have another ready to take over.

Fahrmann has already fired the first shots of declaring the No. 1 job his, but Schubert has a nice run-up to the end of the season to prove that it’s his job to lose.

And just like that, I am much more excited about our keeper situation than I was at the start of this season. This season was stress. Next season is opportunity.