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Bundesliga club, Schalke 04, has recently announced the signing of Real Madrid player, Omar Mascarell, for a fee of €10 million. Schalke 04 has penned a four-year deal with the Spanish international, confirming this news on their official website.
Mascarell is now Schalke 04's fifth signing of the summer, after the club has already captured the signatures of Mark Uth, Salif Sane, Suat Serdar and Steven Skrzybski.
Speaking to Schalke 04's official website, Mascarell revealed: "For me, it is an incredible feeling to be able to play for this great club with this great stadium in the future. I'm a team player: always there to help the team. And also very ambitious. I always want to win, in every training, in every game.
Manager Domenico Tedesco also expressed his delight on Mascarell's arrival, “We’re very happy that Omar Mascarell wants to play for us, he is a great player who has proven himself at the Bundesliga. He is strong and very smart on the pitch."
Mascarell spent the last two seasons playing in the Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt after Real Madrid sold him in 2016. However, the Los Blancos activated the €4 million buy-out clause in Mascarell's contract to re-sign him after the player's consistent performances in the Bundesliga.
It was earlier reported that the 25-year-old would be part of Real Madrid's pre-season squad, as new coach Julen Lopetegui wanted to test him in his plans. However, Mascarell demanded an assured first team spot and seeing how difficult it would be for him to break into Real's playing XI, decided against re-signing for the Los Blancos.
After re-signing him and seeing an increase in value, the Spanish club decided to sell Mascarell to Schalke 04 for a fee of €10 million. With this fee, the Los Blancos have recorded a net profit of €6 million on the 25-year-old.
With the Spaniard already reaching the age of 25, it is highly unlikely that he will be able to break into Real Madrid's first team. Nevertheless, the Los Blancos are thought to have included a buy-back clause in Mascarell's contract with Schalke, meaning that they will be monitoring his progress in the Bundesliga.
Mascarell, who is a defensive midfielder by trade, joined Real Madrid's youth system at the age of 17, from local club Deportivo Laguna. The following year in 2011, Mascarell played his maiden game as a senior for Real Madrid Castilla against the Sporting de Gijon B in the Segunda Division B championship. The midfielder made 24 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla that season, helping them return to the Segunda Division, after an absence of five-years.
Mascarell started the 2012-13 season for Real Madrid C in the third level, but was promoted back to Real Madrid B after a couple of weeks. This gave him the chance to make his professional debut in the B's 2-4 loss to Sporting de Gijon. Mascarell also went on to make his La Liga debut on the last matchday of the season, replacing Mesut Ozil in a 4-2 home win over Osasuna.
The Spanish midfielder spent the 2014-15 season on loan at Derby County in the English Championship. Mascarell made 23 appearances for the club, before moving to Sporting de Gijon on a season-long loan. The midfielder played 28 times across all competitions for the club, helping the club earn promotion to La Liga.
His performances for Sporting de Gijon helped him earn a three-year contract at German club, Eintracht Frankfurt. The midfielder made his Bundesliga debut soon after, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1-0 home defeat. Nevertheless, the Spaniard settled well in the Bundesliga, starting 27 out of the 28 games he played for the German club that season.
However, an achilles tendon injury saw Mascarell miss most of the 2017-18 season, as he could make it to only 9 matches. Despite the injury, Mascarell went on to play the full 90 minutes in Frankfurt's 3-1 win over league champions Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal final.
The 25-year-old's impressive performances attracted a lot of attention from various clubs in the Bundesliga as well as La Liga. Mascarell's former coach at Frankfurt, Niko Kovac, moved to Bayern Munich and was said to be interested in signing him. Furthermore, fellow German clubs, Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund, and La Liga clubs Villarreal and Sevilla were also keeping tabs on the midfielder’s situation at Frankfurt.
However, in the end it was Schalke that made the move for Mascarell, and signed him on a five-year contract. Reports also confirm that Mascarell wanted to stay in the Bundesliga, where he is settled, for his personal development.
On the other hand, Mascarell's signing will be of great importance for Schalke 04, who have suffered two blows by the departures of two important central midfielders; Max Meyer and Leon Goretzka.
Even though Meyer's new club has not yet been decided, the German international denied to re-new his contract at the club, making him a free agent this summer. On the contrary, Leon Goretzka has decided his destination, Bayern Munich, while he also refused to sign a new contract with the Veltins Arena outfit.
The departures of both Meyer and Goretzka will leave a void in the midfield for Schalke, who are looking to strengthen their midfield before the start of the new season.
And in an effort to bolster their midfield options, Domenico Tedesco has made three signings so far this summer. Apart from Mascarell, Suat Serdar has also joined Schalke from fellow league club, Mainz 05, while Johannes Geis arrives on a season-long loan from Sevilla.
Schalke 04 finished 2nd to Bayern Munich in Bundesliga this past season. However, the huge point gap of 21 points between the champions and Schalke show room of improvement for Tedesco's men.
Schalke will begin their new Bundesliga season when they play Wolfsburg on 25th of August, on the opening matchday. The Royal Blues will be looking to win and start the new season on a high, and possibly contest for the coveted Bundesliga trophy.
