‘I want a new adventure’: Reported Wolves target says summer move could happen

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They do say a captain should go down with his ship.

And even as water gushes into the hull, dragging Schalke down to the depths of the German second tier, Omar Mascarell was never going to leap into the lifeboat even as football’s answer to the Titanic sinks like a stone.

“If the club shows me the door, I will have to leave. (But) my wish is to remain here and help out Schalke,” the long-serving midfielder told Marca in January, ruling out a mid-season departure.

“I consider it my responsibility, especially as captain. I’m not one of those to abandon ship when things get rough. I wish to fight on to see this situation out.”

With just one win – and ten points – from their 24 Bundesliga games, Mascarell’s commitment to the cause will soon be put to the test. Schalke’s relegation, their first since 1988, will be confirmed in the coming weeks barring an escape that even Houdini would consider impossible.

Despite Mascarell’s undying loyalty, he is hardly guaranteed to stay at the Veltins Arena and help the Miners drag themselves out of a hole of their own making.

As the 28-year-old said: ‘If the club shows me the door, I will have to leave.”

And there is a very real chance that Schalke will do just that.

According to AS, Wolverhampton Wanderers have offered Mascarell a fresh start in England. And, given that their skipper is due to become a free agent in the summer of 2022, Schalke will apparently jump at the chance to sell for as little as £4 million.

Better than nothing, we suppose.

And Schalke need all the money they can get.

One of Germany’s most historic footballing institutions were already in a dire financial situation last year, their very existence threatened by the COVID pandemic, and an impending relegation will make a bad situation worse.

Speaking to AS today, Mascarell sounds like a man coming to terms with the fact that his time at Schalke is coming to an end; whether he wants it to or not.

“After five years, what I most want is to look for a new adventure elsewhere.

“It’s time to focus on survival and trying to play as much as possible. Then, I will have to sit down and look at all the options.”