Maxmilian Lüftl named Schalke’s new head of scouting and transfers

“Max matches our comprehensive search criteria and made a very good impression in our talks. As a result, we’re happy that he’s decided to join FC Schalke 04,” said Baumann. “Despite being so young, he has already worked for FC Bayern, St. Pauli, Hoffenheim and Hannover, so he brings a lot of experience and a large network that Schalke will benefit from. Max will collaborate closely with Youri Mulder, Miron Muslic and the other departments to plan the squad as best as possible. He thinks about football just like we do – from the DNA of the club and the philosophy of the coach that fits that, to the choice of players. To do so, he utilises a combination of data, video and in-person scouting which fits perfectly with our set-up.”

Lüftl is equally excited to start his work at the club. “The talks with S04 and Frank Baumann were very open and high-level from the outset. It quickly became apparent that we have the same idea of how Schalke should work and perform on the pitch. What immediately convinced me was the unique Schalke DNA of courage, heart and determination. It’s our responsibility to implement this into the squad planning. I’m really looking forward to working with the scouting team and the backroom staff to continue developing the squad in a sustainable and successful way.”

Like with the recruitment process for the head coach position, Baumann lad great emphasis on getting a 360-degree view of all the possible candidates. Alongside information and references from discussions with third parties, the impressions from the in-person conversations played a key role. “Our desired profile was comprehensive in order to do justice to the complexity of the role,” explained Baumann. As head of scouting and transfers, Lüflt will be an integral figure in squad planning and establish a strong network with advisers, clubs and partner clubs, as well as leading contract and transfer negotiations. He will also be responsible for the strategic leadership and development of the entire scouting department, both for the first team and the academy. In that regard, the development of a quantifiable, independent scouting and transfer strategy, in addition to the professional observation, documentation and analysis of players, is the core task. Another area of focus will be the management of loan player policy and partner clubs.

Early focus on a career off the pitch

Alongside the professional requirements, key personal skills were also a major focus. “This includes, for example, excellent communication skills, because the target groups are very diverse: internal stakeholders such as the head coach, scouts and club officials, as well as agents, other clubs and, above all, the players themselves. The right tone and the right approach are always necessary. We are convinced that Max brings exactly the skills required for the role at Schalke.”

As a player, Lüftl turned out for Wacker Burghausen among other clubs, but early on he set his sights on a career beyond the pitch. He was awarded a sports scholarship at North Carolina State University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree, before furthering his education with a master’s degree in sports management at the University of Bayreuth. The former Regionalliga player holds a UEFA B coaching licence and gained experience at a young age as a player-assistant coach as well as in scouting roles. His career path took him to FC St. Pauli via FC Unterföhring and the FC Bayern academy, before he joined TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in 2021 as scouting coordinator for the U17 to U23 teams. Since February 2022, he has served as head scout at Hannover 96.