André Hechelmann: We've got down to work straight away

Hechelmann commented that it has been an eventful and emotionally charged week for him. First came the bitter 4-2 defeat in Leipzig, which confirmed Schalke’s demotion to Bundesliga 2, which, according to him, has been the worst defeat of his career so far. Soon after came the news that the board and the sports committee of the supervisory board decided to install him as our new sporting director. “It fills me with pride and great gratitude,” explained Hechelmann.

He added that he also has great respect for his new role “which I will take on with real drive. We’ve got down to work straightaway,” said Hechelmann with reference to the successful negotiations with Terodde, Kaminski and Matriciani.

A part of S04 since 2021

Hechelmann, who is pleased to be continuing the good work and progress made together with the board, the coaching staff, sporting advisor René Grotus and Gerald Asamoah, won’t need time to settle in in Gelsenkirchen, having already worked at the club for two years. He joined S04 as chief scout after previously working for FSV Mainz 05 and has been very involved since then. “The public relations aspect to this role is certainly new to me,” Hechelmann added. Other key tasks including squad planning and transfers are already familiar to him and he has a clear understanding of what those roles entail.

Several factors are decisive in the selection of new firepower for the squad, emphasised the new sporting director. “We want players who are willing to identify with our club, who are brave and who are passionate.” They must also be technically proficient and have a personality and a mentality that suits the club.

The club already has a stable framework in place for the upcoming season. “Everything’s much more stable than it was two years ago. We’ve already got a good squad,” said Hechelmann. “However, we’d still like to improve in certain positions.” He went on to mention centre back, left back and centre midfield amongst others.

Improve the squad and increase individual quality

“We’re looking to improve – but not regardless of cost. Our business will be economically rational and shrewd,” said Hechelmann. That’s why it’s possible that one or two of the signings made in the coming weeks may not have been on the radar of every fan. This shouldn’t matter, however, particularly given what happened when players such as Moritz Jenz and Ko Itakura were signed, players who Hechelmann had been scouting for a long time before they came to Schalke.

Perspective is very important to when it comes to squad planning, because the overarching goal is to continually increase the squad’s value whilst improving the on-field quality of the squad. The new chief scout will also be involved in the search for new signings. There are already a few candidates for the role, according to the 38-year-old. “We’ve had some positive discussions. The new chief of scouting needs to align himself with the values of the club as well as our goals and be enthusiastic and supportive in our search for players who can develop. They also need to have a good relationship with head coach and me.” Only through togetherness will the goal of promotion be achieved once again.