Edin Džeko says "I only wanted to come to Schalke" after joining Bundesliga 2 side
In his first press conference since joining Schalke from Fiorentina, Edin Džeko revealed the roles head coach Miron Muslić, as well as Germany international Robin Gosens, played in bringing him to Gelsenkirchen.
In a press conference on Thursday (January 22), Džeko opened up on his decision to join the Bundesliga 2 leaders.
The veteran forward, who last played in Germany with Wolfsburg 15 years ago, has been handed the number 10 shirt at Schalke.
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Speaking to the press shortly after signing, Džeko used the regional welcome of "Glück auf!" before stating: "I arrived last night. All in all, it took almost three weeks because a lot of things had to fall into place. But from day one, my heart was set on it - I only wanted to come to Schalke.”
"A lot of people said I was crazy, but I don’t see it like that - I’m fully committed to Schalke. From my time at Wolfsburg, I know how amazing it is to play here."
During his time at the Wolves, he struck up an iconic partnership with Grafite that powered the club to their maiden Bundesliga title in 2008/09. In the following campaign, he finished as the league's top goalscorer, with 22.
Now, he's been tasked with trying to fire Schalke back to the top flight, as Miron Muslić's side currently sit at the helm of the Bundesliga 2 table.
As Džeko reveals, the Bosnian head coach - alongside his international teammate Nikola Katić, who is also at Schalke - played a key role in making the transfer happen, along with two other Bosnian football legends with a Schalke past.
He added: "I spoke to Miron [Muslić], Nikola [Katić], Seo [Sead Kolašinac] and Zlatan Bajramovic, and they all said: ‘Come to Schalke!’”
Another person Džeko confessed to asking for advice was Germany international Robin Gosens, who had been a teammate at Fiorentina: "He said I should make the move immediately and was really positive about it."
On Muslić's rise as a coach, Džeko added: "We both come from Bosnia [and Herzegovina] and have been away from home for a long time. We’ve each gone our own way. Miron is a young coach who showed early on what he’s capable of. I’m here to help move the team forward."
Džeko has won several trophies during his storied career, including the 2011/12 Premier League title during a memorable spell with Manchester City. He'll be hoping to add another winner's medal to his cabinet at the end of the season with Schalke.
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