Schalke 04: Arkadiusz Milik would take everything, but he’s worth it
By Josh Sippie
Schalke 04 needs a new striker so desperately, and while Arkadiusz Mili may look impossible, he’s worth all that it’s going to take to get him.
In case. you somehow haven’t noticed, Schalke 04 can’t score any goals. They’ve scored just four since the start of the new year and it’s been a chore to watch the look so incredibly impotent. Not just against top tier opposition either, but against literally every single opponent.
They need help up top, and that help isn’t coming from Burgstaller or Gregoritsch, even if those two are meant to provide the same thing—presence in the box. They haven’t provided that and, even if they have, they sure haven’t provided goals.
Thus, the rumors to Arkadiusz Milik, when he first appeared on the radar, felt not just realistic but perfect. The Royal Blues were in a position to secure European competition and Milik would have wanted that.
If Milik breaks Schalke 04’s bank, he’s still worth it
Nowadays, that isn’t so much the case anymore. But even with it not being the case, the chase can’t be completely ruled out, sensational though it seems.
Recent reports, while not including Schalke in the hunt, have indicated that Napoli is so determined not to let Milik fall to rival Juventus that they will be willing to let him go for less than his $50m market valuation.
$50m is obviously way more than Die Knappen can afford to pay, and even once we start getting lower than that, it’s still a long shot. Call it $35m if you want, it will probably still take all of our available funds plus some sales to be able to afford him. But the Royal Blues do have the capability to raise some money from sales and they are going to have some money available, even if they can’t afford him outright.
Even if all they can buy this summer is Milik, it will be well worth the reward. Really, Schalke already has so many pieces in place around Milik, they have a great defense and some top creative talent. They just desperately need someone to be there for that creative talent and thus if they have to blow the bank and break every record in order to do it.
It’s still crazy to think this could happen, but never underestimate what a big club can do. Even if they aren’t capable of acting like it right now, Schalke is a big club.