Schalke 04: Ozan Kabak worth as much as all Schalke’s strikers combined

Everyone knows that Ozan Kaba is a Schalke 04 gem, and few would question that the striker situation is the opposite. The numbers reflect this too.

Schalke 04 has a very clear distinction between attack and defense. On the defense, they have a ton of value and talent and it’s the focal point of the team despite recent collapses.

On the attack, it’s much the opposite. It’s a bunch of options and not a lot of confidence. Sure, there are options like Ahmed Kutucu, who could become something great, but until he gets more game time, we’re stuck rotating between a collection of strikers who can’t score goals consistently.

In fact, it’s such a pickle that if you look at the market value of all of our strikers combined, it totals the exact same as what Ozan Kabak is worth all on his own. Which is both ringing endorsement of Kabak and the complete opposite of the attack.

Ozan Kabak worth all of Schalke’s strikers

Between Benito Raman, Michael Gregoritsch, Ahmed Kutucu, Guido Burgstaller, and Rabbi Matondo, the combined value is $32m. Again, that’s not entirely fair to Kutucu, who only has a market value of under $6m due to a lack of opportunity, but the point is still stark.

Ozan Kabak‘s market value is at $32m all on his own. We acquired him for $16m and his value has already doubled just from his own personal exploits. He’s been a tremendous asset to this defense and proven time and again that he is one of the best talents in the world of football.

Conversely, this attack has been paltry at every possible juncture. Benito Raman’s burst of goals when he first broke onto the scene coaxed us into a sense of solution, but he’s since proven to be valuable, but not all-encompassing.

It’s remarkable how stark the contrast is between the attack and everywhere else on the pitch. The same goes for the midfield, with plenty of talent and growth potential and immediate impact, as compared to the strike force which is a whole bunch of experiments. The two young ones—Rabbi Matondo and Kutucu—haven’t had the right opportunity to flourish and the only other half solution—Raman—is just half a solution.

But hey, the worst-case scenario is we have a fantastic defensive foundation and no cause for concern about the future of this defense. So we can turn all attention to that attack and figuring it all out.