Great person and player – Schalke 04 bid farewell to Ko Itakura

After much deliberation, the club has decided not to activate their buy option for the defender. Itakura joined on loan from Manchester City in summer 2021 and featured a total of 32 times for S04. The 25-year-old, who can play in both central defence and holding midfield, scored a total of four goals for the Royal Blues.

The decision to go separate ways was not an easy one for those involved. “Ko is a fantastic person and he is a great addition to any dressing room. He was a key figure in our journey towards winning promotion and finishing top of the 2. Bundesliga,” said Rouven Schröder. The sporting director had had his eye on the Japan international (8 caps) for several years, before finally signing him on loan last summer. In hindsight, Itakura was able to play a big part in restoring Schalke’s status as a Bundesliga club. Fans will be able to remember him as a tough-tackling player with the skills to match, and as the scorer of some memorable and important goals in 2021/22.

“Nobody had any doubts about the fact that Ko was one of our stand-out players on the pitch this season. We’d have loved to have him in our Bundesliga squad, but that wasn’t possible due to financial reasons,” said Schröder, who underlined: “We don’t want to beat around the bush. At this moment in time, when a lot of squad planning decisions still need to be made, we were unable to exercise the purchase option. The financial outlay was too large and would have exceeded our carefully-planned budgets.” The club want to continue with the strategy of only spending the money that it has available.

It’s a decision that Ko Itakura can also understand. “I really wanted to continue playing at Schalke and will miss all the people here. But I understand the situation behind the decision.”

The Japanese defender looked back fondly on his year in Gelsenkirchen: “I’m really thankful for my time auf Schalke. S04 is a great club and we had an amazing season together. Every game and every minute at the VELTINS-Arena was special for me. The fans are simply wonderful, they create a fantastic atmosphere. I felt like I was part of a big family.”

Peter Knäbel, member of the board, and sporting director Schröder added: “Ko’s warm character is what made him stand out. He was able to qualify for the World Cup with Japan during his time at Schalke and was a fantastic representative for our club and our values. We would like to wish him all the best for his future. He will always be welcome here auf Schalke.”

The whole club would like to wish Itakura all the best for his future. Glück auf, Ko!