Schalke were Champions League regulars in the past and former Japan defender Atsuto Uchida was a member of the club. It was a strong club in the Bundesliga in the past, and in recent years it has continued to stagnate, playing mainly in the second division rather than the top flight.
In the 2022/23 season they were promoted to the Bundesliga, but were relegated after only one season. This season, they have not performed well in the second division, finishing 13th, and interim manager Jakob Fimpel has been in charge of the team since 21 September.
According to BILD, Schalke are looking to appoint an official manager and former Liverpool FW Fernando Torres has been mentioned as one of the candidates. The club had approached Raúl González, another former Spain international who has also played for Schalke, but he was turned down.
The striker, who retires in 2019, has experience in coaching at his old club Atletico Madrid: he has coached and managed the U-19 team and has been in charge of Atletico Madrid B this season.
Although he has no first team coaching experience, Xabi Alonso has spread his wings in a similar career, leading Bayer Leverkusen to an undefeated championship last season. The team’s situation is very different, but he may make the leap on German soil.
Will Torres, who made his mark at Anfield with Steven Gerrard, take charge at the Veltins Arena…?