Stephan Loboué and Sidney Sam join S04 coaching team

There will be fresh faces in the Schalke dugout from next season, with Stephan Loboué and Sidney Sam becoming a part of Karel Geraerts' backroom staff. Loboué will take over the role of first team goalkeeping coach, while Sam will act as one of S04’s pitchside assistant coaches. Current assistant coach Tim Smolders, as well as fitness coach Alexander Stork, will continue as part of the coaching team.

Loboué was most recently a goalkeeping coach at Raja Casablanca, where he helped the side win the Moroccan top flight. Prior to that, the former Ivorian international had accrued plenty of experience in Germany. As well as coaching at Eintracht Frankfurt, the 42-year-old made 82 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga with Greuther Fürth and Paderborn. Karel Geraerts is looking forward to working with him: “Stephan will bring fresh impetus to our training sessions. He knows the league and has made steady progress as a goalkeeping coach over the past few years.”

The second addition to the coaching team will be a familiar face to S04 fans – Sidney Sam represented the club between 2014 and 2017. The 36-year-old’s most recent role was as a coach at MSV Duisburg. As well as winning five caps for Germany, Sam also turned out for the likes of Hamburger SV and Bayer Leverkusen in his playing career. “Sidney will work closely with the players and share his experience,” said Geraerts. “With his support, we can respond even better to the needs of individual players.”