S04 say goodbye to five players and assistant coach Peter Hermann

The group looked back on the past few weeks and months as they ate together on Tuesday. The club said goodbye to five players plus Peter Hermann, who joined during the run-in as assistant coach. As announced when he arrived in March, he will return to his job as assistant coach of Germany U20s.

“Peter came during a crucial period of the season for us. His calm nature and wealth of experience were really helpful for our coaching team,” said sporting director Rouven Schröder. Hermann was given a round of applause by the team and all staff members present.

Promotion heroes will always remain a part of the club’s history

Martin Fraisl, Marc Rzatkowski and Salif Sané will all depart the club at the end of their contracts, whilst Yaroslav Mikhailov and Andreas Vindheim will go back to their parent clubs after being on loan at S04. “These were no easy decisions, particularly after a successful season which ended in promotion and the league title,” explained Schröder. “It was therefore really important that we were honest and open with the lads before they went on holiday. We said goodbye to them in a setting they deserved and expressed our gratitude. They will always remain a part of the club’s history as promotion heroes.”

Fraisl joined the club after the start of this season and played 26 times in goal, keeping eight clean sheets. Marc Rzatkowski also came on a free transfer after being without a club and put pen to paper on a deal until 30th June 2022. The 32-year-old made two cameo appearances for the Royal Blues. Sané’s time at Schalke has come to an end after four years. The Senegal international, who has struggled with consistent knee problems in recent years, featured 11 times for S04 this season. He appeared 82 times overall in all competitions during his Schalke career, scoring six goals.

Mikhailov initially arrived on trial last summer and impressed in pre-season to earn himself a one-year loan spell in Gelsenkirchen. The Russia youth international played eight games in the league and recorded one assist. Vindheim appeared in one less game than the midfielder, having arrived on loan from Sparta Prague in the winter. He scored and assisted a goal apiece on his debut in Aue, but got injured the following week and missed a large part of the second half of the season as a result.