Sebastian Polter: I’ll leave it all out on the pitch for this club

“I can’t wait to play football and I’m desperate to be successful,” said the striker after his first few days in Gelsenkirchen. The tall forward scored 10 goals for VfL Bochum last season in the Bundesliga and played a big part in S04’s neighbours securing their target of avoiding relegation.

Take things one step at a time

Avoiding relegation is also Schalke’s goal for this season. “It’s important that we keep our feet on the ground after the brilliant promotion season and continue to grow as a group,” commented Polter. According to the German, the club need to build on this success, but “take things step by step and not get ahead of themselves.” He wants to play his part in the club’s project, which in his words “is the perfect fit for me.” He continued: “It’s important that everybody can see that I will leave my all out on the pitch, regardless for which club I’m playing for.”

When asked about his style of play, Polter described himself as a player that looks to find space and one that actively looks to make himself available to receive the ball, whilst remaining aware that a striker is often judged on their goals tally. “Ultimately, you have to score goals as a striker and you need to be in the box for that. There are a number of ways of getting there.”

Convincing conversations with Schröder and Kramer

The striker also talked about his conversations with sporting director Rouven Schröder and head coach Frank Kramer which were pivotal in his decision to move to S04. “The whole thing was done in just one week,” revealed Polter. “Rouven Schröder was very convincing from the beginning. He made it clear how important I would be to the team,” said the striker, who was even in contact with Schröder and Kramer during his honeymoon in Mauritius. “That was absolutely no problem – I’m really happy to be here.”