Robin Gosens departs Fiorentina for Schalke 04
Robin Gosens leaves Fiorentina with a scar.
Not a public bust‑up, not a final ovation at the Franchi. Just a message, a suitcase and a one-way ticket to Gelsenkirchen.
The German full-back has completed his move to Schalke 04, the club he grew up supporting, after being abruptly frozen out at Fiorentina and told not to report for pre-season under new coach Fabio Grosso, despite a contract running until June 2028. The deal is understood to be a loan with an obligation to buy for around €2.5m plus add-ons – a modest fee for a player who, not long ago, was a symbol of Fiorentina’s European ambitions.
From home to cold shoulder
Two years ago, Gosens arrived in Florence with the enthusiasm of a man who thought he had found his place. He spoke of happiness, of a home, and the pitch backed him up. His first season in purple went “incredibly well,” as he put it, capped by key performances in Europe, including a goal in the UEFA Conference League semi-final first leg against Real Betis at the Artemio Franchi on May 8, 2025.
That night, he celebrated like someone who expected to be part of the club’s long-term picture.
The second season told a different story. Injuries, dips in form, tactical shifts – the usual cocktail. Gosens admitted it went “incredibly badly.” But he insists one thing never wavered: the daily commitment.
“Every single day here, I gave my life. On the field and off it. I always behaved fairly, towards everyone,” he wrote in his farewell message.
Then, without warning in his eyes, the door slammed. No pre-season. No fight for his place. No explanation that satisfied him.
A drastic cut
Gosens described a “drastic decision to exclude me from the squad” that “struck me deeply.” He trained quietly in recent days, away from the main picture, trying to piece together how a relationship that once felt so solid could unravel so quickly.
“I went to train without creating chaos and I am still trying to understand what could’ve happened in such a short space of time,” he said.
Clubs often talk about identity, loyalty, respect, effort. Gosens turned that back on Fiorentina’s hierarchy.
“The clubs quite rightly want players to feel a core identity, to have gratitude, respect and effort, but the same is true in reverse. I believe that I have always given all of that. I would've loved the opportunity to fight for my place, but there's no point fighting when there is no possibility of victory.”
It is as close to a direct hit at the club’s directors as a modern professional is likely to deliver in public. No shouting, no insults. Just a pointed reminder that loyalty is supposed to run both ways.
Gratitude amid the bitterness
For all the sting, his farewell is not a scorched-earth statement. He repeatedly leans on the word “gratitude.”
He thanks the city. He thanks the club. He thanks Rocco Commisso and his family “who gave me this opportunity.” He names the people who rarely make the headlines: kit staff, chefs, waiters, medical staff he feels were unfairly criticised last season. He calls his team-mates “my lads, who became like brothers to me.”
The fans receive a special line: they made him feel at home “from the first minute” and gave him the sense that what he did “had meaning.”
There is a photograph that now feels like a snapshot from another life: Gosens celebrating a goal at San Siro against Milan on October 19, 2025, mobbed by Moise Kean and Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, a Fiorentina side on the rise. Another image shows him, head bowed, dejected at the Franchi against Torino in January 2025. Those two frames, joy and frustration, bookend his time in Florence.
He insists he leaves “aware that I left my heart and soul here, with every second.”
Back to the beginning
Gosens turned 32 earlier this month. He has spent most of his professional career in Italy, becoming a familiar figure on the flanks of Serie A pitches, from Bergamo to Milan to Florence. Now he heads to a very different challenge.
“Fortunately, my destiny is taking me right back to the beginning,” he wrote. “Where my love for this sport started, and where the journey to make my dreams come true began.”
Schalke 04, battered by recent years and far from their glory days, are not an easy landing spot. But for Gosens, they are something deeper: childhood colours, old feelings, a chance to reset.
“I love you all. See you soon. Robin.”
Fiorentina move on with Grosso and a reshaped squad. Gosens moves on with a point to prove and a club that once lived only on his bedroom wall. The question now is simple: who will miss the other more when the season starts to bite?
