Schalke 04: One step to keeping Weston McKennie forever

Schalke 04 has had their fair share of unfortunate exits over the years, but Weston McKennie would rank among the top. Here’s how to keep him.

Through all the contract drama and questions about who is going to stay at Schalke this summer, from Suat Serdar to Amine Harit, there was never any doubt that Weston McKennie would stay. And there still isn’t. He isn’t going anywhere.

At least not now. However, in speaking with Goal.com, McKennie revealed that his dream has always been to play in England and to compete for European Cups. I wouldn’t call this deflating, but I would call it a tad bothersome.

The timing is… inopportune, especially because for quite some time now, we’ve been under the impression that he wanted to stay here forever. And I swear I didn’t make that up.

Weston McKennie doesn’t want to stay at Schalke forever?

It was just back in 2017 that he signed a contract extension (that has since been extended again) and uttered the words we all wanted to hear:

“It was an easy decision for me to make. I love the club and everything here: my teammates, the head coach, and the fans. I’d love to stay here forever.”

I’d love to stay here forever! What is better than hearing that? And as for me, I’ve carried that line into every single article I’ve written about Weston McKennie because it’s nice to know that you’ve got a player that is as dedicated as he is.

Now, nothing immediately changes. I’m not here to criticize or anything. I don’t think he’s in any hurry to leave. It’s just a wee bit disconcerting that there is a “next stop” when it seemed like he would be here as a final stop. This just makes me wonder if Schalke’s inconsistencies in the Bundesliga have triggered a desire for more.

If so, that’s perfectly natural. All we have to do is simple—find some consistency. Qualify for the Europa League and Champions League consistency. If we’re playing at the levels that McKennie wants to play at, he’ll have no reason to think “next goals” because how much higher could you get?

So there you have it. As if we needed higher stakes to get back into European competitions, it could now mean the difference between McKennie being a club legend and McKennie being a club legend in England. Boo. Stay in Gelsenkirchen.