#6 Yevhen Konoplyanka – Schalke
Signing with an obligation to buy always seems strange, it’s like arranging a Tinder date whilst booking the venue for the wedding. One of those examples of it going array is Yevhen Konoplyanka and Schalke, with the former never really settling in Gelsenkirchen.
Six goals and an assist in 27 games isn’t an abysmal stat line but the fact he managed to play more than thirty minutes in a game only once after Christmas is frightening. A fall out with then-manager Marcus Weinzierl pushed him to the periphery, with the 27-year-old even telling his boss that he would outlast him at the club.
That landed him a hefty fine, the club eventually sacked the former Augsburg coach and the Ukrainian is still on board – so at least he was proven right. That doesn’t mean he’ll stay, with rumours that the Bundesliga side might still make a profit, which can be the only positive that can be taken out of this ugly endeavour.
#5 Benjamin Stambouli – Schalke
Once a promising young midfielder, now bounding around from club to club like a lost puppy, Benjamin Stambouli cannot catch a break. A move from Montpellier to Tottenham Hotspur went sour quickly, only for a return to France with Paris Saint-Germain only leading to more time on the bench.
A move to Schalke seemed like a possible remedy if midfield wasn’t their best position on the park. Struggling in a team that were well below their usual level, his 38 appearances are possibly more symbolic of the club’s plight than his ability to start for them.
A signal of the end has come, with the German club putting him up for a sale and a move back to France on the horizon. Maybe there he can lay some foundations to rebuild his confidence after being pitched from pillar to post since 2014.
