Things are going from bad to worse for Shkodran Mustafi at Schalke.
The central defender only joined the Bundesliga outfit in the January transfer window following the release from his contract at Arsenal, but it’s safe to say it has not been a smooth ride back home in Germany.
Mustafi’s debut did not go according to plan, as RB Leipzig ran out comfortable 3-0 winners to leave Schalke rooted to the foot of the table and his former manager, Christian Gross, was not happy with his performance.
“I’m not 100 per cent satisfied with his performance, but with his commitment,” said Gross, as quoted by Sport1. “He tried everything. He stabilised the defence and gave many instructions.
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“For the future, he is definitely the right transfer, I am convinced of that.
“He is a great personality and will help us tremendously in our situation.”
Gross was replaced by Dimitrios Grammozis soon after, but his prediction hasn’t quite worked out just yet as the World Cup winner had an afternoon to forget against Wolfsburg last month.
In a 5-0 thrashing for Schalke, Mustafi put through his own net just past the half-hour mark to hand the home side the lead, gifting them the platform to build upon.
Interestingly, in six appearances for his new club since leaving Arsenal, Mustafi has not tasted victory once – and he may not get the chance to do so.
According to Bild, the 28-year-old appears to have already played his last game for Schalke after falling out with Grammozis.
The report states that Mustafi was not included in the squad for the 2-1 defeat away at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, as per Grammozis’ decision.
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Given that Mustafi is only contracted to Schalke until the summer, it appears he may not be sticking around for next season’s campaign in the second-tier.
There was reported interest in him from clubs in Italy, where he has previously represented Sampdoria, during the January window and a return to Serie A could be on the cards for next season.
And if reports coming out of Germany are true, then a decision to allow him to become a free agent in the summer has already been made thus saving his next club millions on a transfer fee.