8 clubs that improved even after selling their top players

Schalke 04

Draxler and Neuer joined rival teams from the same league

When it comes to producing great talents, Schalke are up there along with the likes of Ajax or Barcelona or Bayern Munich. Mesut Ozil, Manuel Neuer and Benedikt Howedes, who were all starters in the 2014 World Cup final are products of Schalke’s famous academy.

Despite their ability to produce so many players, the club haven’t had the ability to keep their prized possessions when other clubs come knocking. For example, in the ongoing season the club lost Julian Draxler to fellow league rivals Wolfsburg, but players like Leroy Sane and Max Meyer have stepped up from the academy to fill the void left by Draxler.

In fact, Schalke are currently above Wolfsburg in the league table.

Some of the big players Schalke have lost since 2008 include Manuel Neuer (to Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (to Werder Bremen, now at Arsenal), Ivan Rakitic (to Sevilla, now at Barcelona), Lewis Holtby (to Tottenham Hotspur, now at Hamburger SV), Rafinha (to Genoa, now at Bayern Munich), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (to Bayer Leverkusen) and Julian Draxler (to Wolfsburg).

Despite the sale of so many top players, Schalke haven’t relied on spending heavily to reinforce their squad. They’ve rebuilt by drafting in players from the academy or by purchasing promising young players from other clubs or by loaning in players like they did with Afellay or Raffael or Belhanda.

Players like Howedes, Fahrmann, Kolasinac, Matip, Meyer, Goretzka and Sane are all key members of the current Schalke squad and are all players from their academy.

Schalke have managed to finish in the champions league places more often than not and even won the DFB-Pokal in 2011.