| 05.11.2009 |
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| You can say a lot of things about Felix Magath but one thing he can't be accused of is shying away from a challenge. After winning the league with a mid-table team full of previously mid-table players at Wolfsburg, Felix decided that trying to retain the Bundesliga title wasn't going to be stressful enough for him. Instead, he decided to take on what amounts to the most masochistic of challenges – that of making Schalke 04 German champions. So far, he's not making too bad a job of it. Schalke are fourth but only two points off the summit. Plus he's managed to get the infuriating Kevin Kuranyi scoring again – no mean feat in itself. But even this level of early season success doesn't appear to be challenging enough for the man who constantly needs to push himself. Magath, with a little help from the Schalke hierarchy and the current economic crisis, has found a new test. Felix not only wants to win the Bundesliga with Schalke but with a team shorn of all its best players! It seems that the cash-strapped Royal Blues are looking to sell some of their stars as the club tries to reduce its wage bill. In debt to the tune of 180 million euros, Schalke are looking to offload a host of top names to lower their reported wage bill of 55 million euros. "Even if we have some breathing space now, we must - and will - considerably reduce our wage bill for next season," Magath told German tabloid Bild. "Up to the sale of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, everything is possible." Neuer is a target for English champions Manchester United as a long-term replacement for Edwin van der Sar and while Felix is unhappy about letting his goalkeeper leave, the likes of Kuranyi and Brazilian defender Rafinha are apparently up for grabs with Magath's blessing. Magath is keen to move on at least eight top players according to Bild in a bid to ease Schalke's outgoings, with strikers Halil Altintop and Gerald Asamoah, and midfielders Levan Kobiashvili, Ivan Rakitic, Vicente Sanchez and Albert Streit all apparently up for sale. Should Felix manage to flog all his wage-heavy professionals in the summer – and if he doesn't manage to win the league this season and therefore leave for pastures more difficult – we may see a very happy Magath on the touchlines of Germany next season as he goes about his self-imposed Sisyphean task of winning the league with the Schalke under-16 squad. |
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