Dimitrios Grammozis takes over as S04 head coach

„We are convinced that we have found the right man for the remaining third of the season in Dimitrios Grammozis,“ said Peter Knäbel, interim director of sport. „We are all aware of the situation, but regardless of that, we still have eleven games of the season to go and we want to get the best we can out of those. For us, Dimitrios is the right choice, both with regard to the task and to his personality.“

Schalke’s new head coach is looking forward to the challenge: „I’m really keen to take this on. I will use the short time between now and my first game in charge to try and get as good an impression as possible of the team along with my coaching colleagues – and obviously we want to start with a win against Mainz.“

The 42-year-old played for Hamburger SV, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and 1. FC Köln among others as a professional. He also played in Greece and Cyprus. His second career as a coach started at VfL Bochum, where he worked as U19 and U23 head coach and as first-team assistant, before moving to second-tier SV Darmstadt 98 for 18 months.

Cinel and Naldo to work with the Knappenschmiede

Two other decisions regarding management have also been made: Onur Cinel and Naldo will leave the first-team coaching team. „Both will dedicate their efforts to the Knappenschmiede (Schalke academy). Onur has learnt a lot during his time with the first team – experiences he can now utilise in his work with the youngsters. One thing is clear: The Knappenschmiede will play a central role in our plans for the coming months and years,“ said Knäbel. As announced by the club at the time of his announcement, Naldo will be obtaining his coaching qualifications. A work-shadowing plan has been drafted in order to make this possible as the German-Brazilian prepares for his coaching career. „The Knappenschmiede is not just there to harvest talented players, but also coaches. Naldo will learn his trade by doing,“ said Knäbel.