FC Schalke 04 announces the appointment of Mustafa Muslic as their new coach.
FC Schalke 04 Welcomes Miron Muslic as new Head Coach
Gelsenkirchen – Miron Muslic has been appointed as the new coach of 2. Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04. The 42-year-old, who hails from Bosnia and Herzegovina and has an Austrian background, arrive at the Ruhr club from relegated English second-division side Plymouth Argyle.
Muslic expressed his gratitude to the Schalke decision-makers, saying he has had "an open and honest exchange" regarding the club's expectations and his potential contributions.
Last summer, Muslic led Cercle Bruges to qualification for the UEFA Conference League, marking his most significant coaching achievement to date.
Schalke will pay a significant sum, reported to be in the mid-six-figures with additional bonuses, to secure Muslic's services. Both clubs have agreed to keep the exact details confidential.
Muslic is relatively unknown in Germany as a coach but has shown promise in his career, primarily in Belgium. Expectations for him at Schalke center on team stabilization and a mid-term return to the Bundesliga.
Gelsenkirchen-based club Schalke has experienced a high coach turnover in recent years. After finishing runners-up in 2018, Domenico Tedesco parted ways with the club in the spring of 2019. Since then, twelve different coaches have held the position, including three interim coaches like Huub Stevens, Matthias Kreutzer, and Jacop Fimpel who served in that role twice each. Mirko Slomka was the last Schalke coach to hold the position for at least two years, coaching the club from January 2006 to April 2008.
Muslic's former employer, Plymouth Argyle, expressed disappointment over the coach's talks with "a club from the second division." However, Schalke acknowledged and thanked the English club for enabling these discussions.
With Muslic's appointment, the struggling Gelsenkirchen-based club hopes for a fresh start and the long-awaited continuity they have been seeking.
Miron Muslic, the new head coach of FC Schalke 04, aims to bring his expertise in European leagues, particularly football from the Belgian teams, to help stabilize the club and potentially return to the Bundesliga. His coaching career has largely been spent in Belgium, most notably leading Cercle Bruges to qualification for the UEFA Conference League.
