Queens Park Rangers have come under fire from Schalke after a collapsed move for striker Pape Meïssa Ba twice in the same summer.
The German club have issued a strongly worded statement, accusing the Championship side of delays and poor communication before pulling out altogether.
In their official statement, Schalke claimed that agreements had been reached on two separate occasions for the 28-year-old to move to Loftus Road, only for QPR to back away. Manager Julien Stéphan had been keen to strengthen his forward line, but the deal has now fallen apart amid concerns over Ba’s fitness.
Schalke’s Frustration
The Royal Blues’ board member for sport, Frank Baumann, did not hide his annoyance at how the process unfolded.
“Despite FC Schalke 04 and Queens Park Rangers having twice reached an agreement over the transfer of Pape Meïssa Ba, the move will now not go ahead. We are very frustrated with QPR’s conduct over the past two weeks.
“This period has been marked by delays without any substantive explanation, as well as days without any response to calls or official messages. For us, a transfer – especially after two agreements between the clubs – should be handled in a more cooperative manner.”
Baumann insisted Schalke had refrained from making public comments until now out of respect for the player, but felt QPR’s handling left them with no choice but to speak out. He also defended Ba’s fitness record, pointing out the striker has played over 30 competitive games in each of the last four seasons.
Concerns reportedly raised by QPR were, according to Baumann, the same ones assessed during previous transfers and not a barrier to Ba performing as a professional footballer.
Striker Stays Put
Ba joined Schalke in January from French side Grenoble, scoring twice in 13 games in the 2. Bundesliga. Prior to that, he had amassed over 50 goals in French football’s second tier and below.
It now appears he will remain part of Miron Muslic’s squad, with Schalke eager to reintegrate him into training ahead of their next league fixture against VfL Bochum.
The episode is the second time this year that Schalke have clashed with an EFL side. In May, they faced a dispute with Plymouth Argyle over Muslic’s move to Germany, a switch that saw the manager leave Home Park just weeks after the club’s relegation to League One.
Writer’s View
From QPR’s perspective, caution over a player’s fitness is understandable, particularly in a long and physically demanding Championship campaign. However, the breakdown of negotiations after two agreements hints at either shifting priorities or internal uncertainty at Loftus Road.
For Schalke, the public nature of their criticism underscores how frustrated they felt after investing time into the talks. With the window still open, Stéphan will now need to pivot quickly to alternative attacking targets if QPR are to strengthen before the deadline.
