Ralf Fährmann has been named as Schalke 04’s first-choice goalkeeper for the 2020-21 season by head coach David Wagner.
31-year-old Fährmann slipped down the pecking order in the 2018/19 campaign following the emergence of Alexander Nübel. The goalkeeper has now joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer after running down his contract at the club.
Fährmann, who had spent the majority of the last term on loan at Norwich City in England, before a brief spell in Norway at Brann Bergen returned to the Veltins Arena over the summer and following Nübel’s transfer to Bayern Munich.
Ralf Fährmann convinced Wagner to earn the number 1 spot
According to the former Huddersfield boss, he was convinced by the Schalke academy graduate the number one jersey should be his.
“Our training sessions and friendlies during pre-season have shown that ‘Ralle’ is back to his best.
“After what was a difficult year for him in which he didn’t play much, he’s continually improved since his return to Gelsenkirchen five months ago. In recent weeks in particular, ‘Ralle’ has demonstrated that we can count on him 100 percent,” Wagner said.
This time around, Fährmann will have to live up to expectation as he faces competition for the place between the posts from Markus Schubert and Michael Langer.
With this assurance, he will be adding to his 196 Bundesliga appearances to date when Schalke travel to defending champions Bayern Munich on Matchday 1 of the new season on Friday 18 September.
Wagner further revealed that he told his goalkeepers on Wednesday about his decision.
Our trio of goalkeepers in Ralf Fährmann, Markus Schubert, and Michael Langer give their all during their daily sessions with our goalkeeping coach Simon Henzler, and help ensure that there is a high level of competition within our team,” said Wagner.
