Not many Bundesliga defenders have gone into battle with Marcus Thuram this season and lived to tell the tale. But, as Borussia Monchengladbach’s talismanic centre-forward raced through on goal on Saturday afternoon, Moritz Jenz was in no mood to lay down accept defeat.
Schalke’s January signing turned on the afterburners and extended one of his telescopic legs, perhaps more in hope than expectation. And, just as Thuram was about to pull the trigger, Jenz nipped in with the most perfectly-timed sliding tackle, sending the ball spinning away for a corner kick.
In Schalke’s final game before Jenz’s arrival, they were hit for six in a humiliating home defeat to RB Leipzig. In fact, during their first 17 matches of the current campaign, the Rurh giants conceded 2.4 per goals per game.
But, with Jenz at the heart of Thomas Reis’ backline, Schalke are now on a run of successive clean sheets. From 2.4 goals conceded per game to none.
Former Celtic loanee Moritz Jenz already a colossal figure at Schalke
“Moritz Jens has settled in immediately,” says former Bochum boss Reis. “I’m pleased the squad is bigger now.”
Celtic know from experience just how transformative a couple of inspired, well-placed additions can be. Ange Postecoglou lifted the Hoops off rock bottom and back to the top of the Scottish football tree after replacing Neil Lennon in 2021; Kyogo Furuhashi, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota proving to be something of an overnight sensation on the green side of Glasgow.
Though the sample size is small, the early signs are that Jenz – the former Celtic loanee – could have a similar impact at Schalke.
There was some surprise when the rangy Frenchman had his loan spell at Parkhead cut short in January. Jenz had, after all, featured 19 times during an impressive first half of the current campaign. The 23-year-old departed ahead of schedule, however, after Celtic dipped into the Japanese market again; bringing in another left-sided centre-half in Yuki Kobayashi.
It’s not quite a case of ‘Celtic’s loss is Schalke’s gain’. The Hoops are on a run of five straight clean sheets after all. But a mid-season change of scenery is already working wonders both for Jenz and for a Schalke side who’s newly-solid backline has given their hopes of an escape from the Bundesliga drop zone a timely shot in the arm.
According to BILD, Schalke will trigger a £3.5 million purchase clause in Jenz’s contract if they avoid relegation. Jenz, by then, will have already repaid that investment with considerable interest.
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