Schalke: Rabbi Matondo’s release clause exists for a reason

Rabbi Matond has a new suitor in Manchester United, but Schalke 04 must enforce why the have that release clause in the first place.

Schalke 04 doesn’t exactly have the best reputation when it comes to transfer ins and outs, with an emphasis on the outs. They’ve been plagued by Bosmans that have robbed the club of hundreds of millions of dollars and when they do sell players, it’s at such a cut-rate that they lose money there as well.

So when the rumors emerged that Manchester United was interested in Rabbi Matondo and “confident” that they could get him for less than his release clause, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one raising an eyebrow.

According to the report, Matondo has a release clause in the $65m range, which I think even the most optimistic Schalke fan would say is very, very secure. Without having seen the best of Matondo yet, his market value is only around about $10m.

Schalke don’t need to sell Rabbi Matondo, but there’s protection if they do

Which may be there United’s “confidence” is coming from. That, and the aforementioned outgoing issues that Die Knappen have had. They haven’t had a profitable move in ages, so why would they have one here, with a player they spent about $11m on?

But this is what Schalke has to learn to do. They have to be better money managers when it comes to buying and selling or they will continue to be stuck in the mid-table with overly optimistic glimpses up the table. They lack that quality of what a few key signings would provide to put them over the top.

And that comes from selling players for under their value, or for under the release clause that was clearly put into place to protect him from a similar unceremonious exit.

Matondo is a player of incredible potential, he’s just not had his chance yet. But with his speed and his innovation, you can see what the future may bring. You also, however, have to respect that it might not happen and thus weigh your options wisely. Schalke has some specific needs this coming transfer window and while I love Matondo and would love to see him grow with the Royal Blues, if United wanted to pay near that release clause, it’s hard to say no to such an impressive profit, which we’ve literally never seen before.

There are only two options here—keep Rabbi Matondo or sell him for way, way over market value. We don’t need to do anyone any favors.