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SportsSchalke 04 signs injury-plagued Austrian defender Maximilian Wöber on a free transfer
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BILD Sport exclusively reports that Schalke 04 has signed Austrian center-back Maximilian Wöber (28) on a free transfer from Leeds United, giving him a one-year contract. The move is surprising because Wöber was almost constantly injured during his loan at Werder Bremen last season, playing only 35 minutes out of a possible 3,060 (1.1% of playing time). Schalke coach Miron Muslic, who previously sent Tomas Kalas to the reserves for chronic injury issues, is breaking his own philosophy on player availability. Muslic justified the signing by citing Wöber's fit with Schalke's playing style, his international experience, and the low risk given the club already has four top center-backs. He also noted Wöber's positive character and dressing room presence, comparing the gamble to the successful signing of Loris Karius. The article questions whether Wöber can contribute more than the 35 minutes he managed in Bremen.
Source report
Suddenly he was there! BILD reported exclusively on Wednesday that Schalke is signing Maximilian Wöber (28) on a free transfer from Leeds. The center-back initially receives a one-year contract — and that could have a good reason…
Last season, the former Austrian international was on loan at Bremen — and was almost only injured.
Out of a possible 3,060 minutes of playing time in the Bundesliga, Wöber was on the pitch for just 35 minutes, only being substituted on twice in the closing stages. In plain English: Wöber completed a measly 1.1 percent of the possible playing time.
What does Schalke want with 1-Percent Wöber?
Muslic Breaks with His Own Philosophy
The signing comes as a surprise primarily because for coach Miron Muslic (43), a professional's "availability" is an absolutely important criterion. For example, the Austrian coach sent Tomas Kalas (33) down to the amateurs permanently a few weeks ago, precisely because the Czech had been injured too often in the past.
Why is Muslic breaking with his own philosophy for Wöber?
BILD spoke to the Schalke coach specifically about this discrepancy. Muslic said:
"The feeling for Max is completely different. He fits perfectly into our playing idea. The way we play football suits him. His strengths are Schalke's strengths. He has proven he can do it at an international level. With Kurucay, Katic, Ayhan, and Becker, we still have four top center-backs, so the risk isn't that big. We will give everything to make it work with him – then it can be really cool, really, really exciting with him."
It will be exciting to see how often Wöber can actually play — a few more minutes than in Bremen would be nice…
Source: BILD / IG: zeitungsmax22.07.2026
Wöber Could Also Be Important for the Dressing Room
Muslic added:
"Max naturally brings a risk with him, but we also see the opportunity. We already proved last season that we can take in players who come from a difficult situation and prepare them so that they can perform well. The best example is Loris Karius. The skepticism was also very, very high with him. The supposed risk was there with Loris too. But we saw the potential. And we want to take exactly this path with Max."
From everything one hears, Wöber is said to be a really pleasant person and also good for the dressing room atmosphere. Muslic explained:
"That was also a factor: not just the player profile, but also his character, his personality. We can benefit from him. But we didn't bring him in for the dressing room, we brought him in to help us on the pitch."
And hopefully more than just 35 minutes next season!
Source
BILD - SportWestern
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Schalke 04 Signs Injury-Prone Maximilian Wöber Despite Coach's Availability Philosophy