Schalke 04: Suat Serdar and how much the state of the club really means

Schalke 04 has to figure out the future of Suat Serda, but how much does the state of the club really mean to the midfielder?

It’s been a year of transformation at Schalke 04, or at least it was supposed to have been. The club has been busy trying to sort out numerous contract situations and while Amine Harit was a step in the right direction, Alexander Nubel was a step back. Now we all want to know—what about Suat Serdar.

For many, the question about Serdar is whether the state of the club is the primary influencer here. It’s no secret that Schalke is struggling, and it’s no secret that a big reason why is because they have no money to spend, thanks largely to letting players go for free or woefully under market value.

Serdar joined Schalke from Mainz in 2018. He isn’t from Knappenschiede, so if guys like Nubel can walk from their childhood club, so too could guys like Serdar, who weren’t raised here.

Suat Serdar shouldn’t feel bogged down by Schalke 04

But another thing to consider is that Serdar isn’t “too big” for the club. I mean, no one is ever too big for Schalke, but that seems to be the mindset of players who leave for clubs like Bayern Munich.

Serdar isn’t in a situation like Goretzka either. Goretzka had been excelling for years before he walked to Bayern. Serdar is only in his first real breakout year at the club. With seven goals, he ranks as the top goalscorer in Gelsenkirchen, and that alone has earned him the attention of plenty of other clubs across Europe.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s feeling Die Knappen as an anchor, bogging down his career though. In fact, I’d be surprised if the state of the club was weighing on his decision making that heavily.

Serdar is not yet a superstar. He’s a budding talent who needs to develop more, and Schalke can give him that freedom to develop at a club with tremendous history and aspirations, as well as a manager who has eyes on returning this club to the top where they belong.

If Serdar is so negatively impacted by the state of the club, he needs a reality check. Which is why I don’t think that’s the case. It would not be unreasonable at all to think that he’s on the brink of signing a new deal.

With his current deal running out in 2022, it’s time to act now one way or the other. We either have to get him to sign a new deal or we have to sell him while the market is hot. No way around it.