Shkodran Mustafi has probably played his last match for Schalke 04 after falling out with manager Dimitrios Grammozis.
Mustafi, along with teammate William, was conspicuously absent from the squad that slipped to a 2-1 defeat to out of the form of Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Mustafi’s return to Germany has been a disaster INA FASSBENDER / Getty Images
Before the match, the club’s Twitter account declared the couple’s absence and said: “Shkodran Mustafi is not in the squad for sporting reasons today. William is not included for disciplinary reasons either. Both players will have the chance to impress again in training next week.”
But as reported by Bild, no matter how well Mustafi trains, it is unlikely that he will meet Schalke again, as his relationship with Grammozis can be strained without repair.
Mustafi first arrived at Gelsenkirchen in January and finally ended up with a misplaced five-year hiatus at Arsenal – where he made 102 Premier League appearances and 151 in all competitions – to an end. He joined the Bundesliga fighters on a free transfer, but has not managed to give any form of success to a convicted Schalke side who have only won once this season.
ℹ️ Shkodran # Mustafi is not in the squad for sports reasons today. William is also not included for disciplinary reasons. Both players get the chance to impress again in training next week. # S04 | # B04S04
– FC Schalke 04 (@ s04_en) 3 April 2021
His debut came during a 3-0 debut for RB Leipzig, and his subsequent five appearances have yielded just two points. Mustafi has already made a number of mistakes, while Schalke has somehow plowed through five managers in a single season – David Wagner, Manuel Baum, Huub Stevens, Christian Gross and now Grammozis.
Mustafi only signed a contract until the end of the campaign, so it is likely that he will be released once Die Knapp’s relegation has been confirmed.
Unbelievably, he was previously linked with Barcelona – due to their significant cash flow problems – but it is much more likely that all future career moves will see previously interested sides from Serie A and Turkey take a point.
