Moritz Jenz (left) has been under contract with Schalke 04 since winter.Bild: IMAGO images / nordphoto GmbH
Bundesliga
At the end of the first half of the season it was already clear to many that FC Schalke would be the first to be relegated at the end of the current Bundesliga season. The Royal Blues were at the bottom of the table with just nine points after 17 games. The gap to the relegation place was seven points.
In addition, the Gelsenkircheners were the shooting gallery of the league with 41 goals conceded. But things have been different at Schalke since the Bundesliga restarted. The Knappen have not lost in eight games (two wins, six draws) and have kept five clean sheets in the process.
As a result, the Gelsenkircheners have now moved up to 17th place and are tied with Hertha BSC in relegation place 16. The gap to the first non-relegation place is also only one point.
Winter new signing Moritz Jenz has played a large part in the upswing of the second division champions.
The 23-year-old joined S04 from traditional Scottish club Celtic Glasgow in the winter, but is actually under contract with FC Lorient. However, the French have loaned the native of Berlin to Schalke until the end of the season. And Jenz has a clear plan for the future.
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Schalke 04: The purchase obligation for Jenz is four million euros
But this does not lead him back to France. Jenz wants to stay in Germany and also at FC Schalke much more. But that only works if you manage to stay up. Because then Schalke has a purchase obligation of four million euros
“One must certainly have guts to take on such a task, but if we manage to stay up in the league, which I’m sure we will, that’s a huge thing – for the club, but also for myself,” he told the “kicker”. Jenz would automatically get a contract until 2027 if he stayed in the league.
Then he wants to ensure that there will be more successful times for the people of Gelsenkirchen. “A great project has started here. Schalke are going in the right direction in the long term, I’m convinced of that,” he said.
The left foot even says that he can already imagine staying beyond 2027. “Regardless of any contracts, I would like to stay for at least four years, maybe even longer. I have everything I need at Schalke.”
And although Jenz’s values are more like the Bundesliga average with almost 56 percent of duels won and a passing accuracy of 77 percent, he ensured a safer Schalke defense with his calm manner.
The problem: Schalke’s finances. The club has almost 180 million euros in debt and 110 million euros in equity. The royal blue bosses can hardly afford to spend a lot.
