Top striker from regional rivals VfL: what Schalke 04 should (not) expect from Polter

Sebastian Polter left VfL Bochum after just one strong season and joined regional rivals FC Schalke 04.

Top striker from regional rivals VfL: what Schalke 04 should (not) expect from Polter

Sebastian Polter left VfL Bochum after just one strong season and joined regional rivals FC Schalke 04. The attacker, who is said to have cost around 1.5 million euros, signed a contract with the Royal Blues until 2025. "With Sebastian we are gaining a robust centre-forward who has good speed for his size and has very good assertiveness," said S04 Sports Director Rouven Schröder: "He knows the Bundesliga, is a guy and knows what is important." At Schalke's start of training at the Parkstadion on Wednesday, Polter was already a popular conversation partner. Everyone wanted to know how the new guy ticks and what goals he is pursuing with the prominent climber from the Ruhr area. But what can the newcomer expect from his newcomer and what not?

His style of play: Polter needed a total of three attempts to establish himself in the Bundesliga. The Wilhelmshaven native did not make a breakthrough in the upper house between 2012 and 2014 in Wolfsburg, Nuremberg and Mainz, nor in 2019 at Union Berlin. It was only in Bochum that the 1.92 meter tall attacker was able to (roughly) consistently prove that he could keep up at Bundesliga level. His ten goals in the previous season were hard-earned and therefore symbolic for VfL, who held the class surprisingly well, mainly due to their team spirit and enthusiasm.

Polter was a kind of pioneer: Rarely filigree, but always committed. Even when he briefly lost his regular place to winter new signing Jürgen Locadia at the start of the second half of the season, he remained a valuable option for coach Thomas Reis as a joker. The greatest strength of the veteran was and is undoubtedly his enormous power. "Polti is a wrecking ball," said Schalke's new coach Frank Kramer, describing the approach at the start of training: "He makes a lot of deep runs, works through the opponents." However, Polter does not stand for demanding combination football. The right foot relies on passes, whether high or low. In addition, he does not have the callousness of a Simon Terodde in the end. And: Measured against his stature, a quota of only 41.9% won duels is surprisingly weak.

His position: Polter is definitely not an offensive all-rounder. Although the 31-year-old used to be a goalkeeper when he was young, his only area of ​​activity these days is in the center of the attack. From his last professional positions, the Neu-Schalke player is used to acting as the only point. However, Simon Terodde has recently fulfilled the job of the classic target player at the Knappen to the complete satisfaction of the club bosses.

A tactical formation with the two strong header edges next to each other seems rather unlikely as things stand, even if Coach Kramer expressly does not want to rule out such a variant. That means: Unless promotion hero Terodde is surprisingly banished to the bench, Polter is initially only a challenger in the fight for a place in the front line. A constellation that causes skepticism in the environment - even with club legend Klaus Fischer. "I was surprised," admitted the 72-year-old in an interview with "WAZ", after all Terodde and Polter are "roughly the same type of player".

His character: "I want to get involved and live the values ​​​​that Schalke stands for - because that suits me perfectly" - the striker should have struck a chord with many fans with his statement on Wednesday. At the same time, Polter has a reputation for not being the easiest character. At the beginning of the corona pandemic, the offensive man was suspended by Union Berlin, allegedly because he had not previously agreed to a salary waiver. A public mud fight was the result. "I gave my heart for Union and then got the stamp of the rip-off. I couldn't understand that. And I still don't understand it to this day," Polter explained months later in a "Sport Bild" interview.

His declaration of love for Bochum was not particularly well received. He and VfL are "a pot and a lid", Polter emphasized in an interview with "Spox" and "Goal" at the beginning of May. He wants to "play in the Bundesliga, preferably with VfL Bochum." Shortly thereafter, however, it became known that the striker was negotiating a change with Eintracht Frankfurt. When the deal failed, Schalke struck without further ado. It was therefore hardly a coincidence that VfL started confirming the transfer during the week with the phrase "lid on it". The coming months will have to show whether Polter's "identification" with FC Schalke will last for a long time.