Overview
- Schalke and Ben Manga have reportedly agreed to end the director of squad planning contract that previously tied him to the club.
- Manga has been suspended for about nine months and is said to receive a severance payment close to seven figures.
- During his time at the club Manga rebuilt scouting and brought in several trusted staff, including academy chief Raffael Tonello and coaches Sidney Sam and Stephan Loboué.
- Persistent clashes over authority — most visibly Manga’s push to remove coach Karel Geraerts — and a string of underperforming signings left the club short of its promotion goals.
- The club’s sporting reset under sporting director Frank Baumann will continue with a new structure for transfers and staff, and Schalke faces pressure to repair results and finances after the payout.