Loan deals are a tricky business at the best of times. Often they work out fine, everyone gets what they needed, and there are no issues.
Sometimes, though, they prove to be a complete disaster. Ralf Fährmann’s move to Norwich City has undoubtedly proven to be that.
The German goalkeeper joined the Canaries on loan from Schalke in the summer as Daniel Farke looked to add experience and competition to his goalkeeping department.
The expectation in Germany was that Fährmann would be a regular for the newly-promoted side, but that has not proven to be the case, with him making just three appearances all season for Norwich.
He’s set to return to Schalke this summer, with Alexander Nubel moving to Bayern Munich, and it seems his wife is counting down the days for them to leave.
This, says the newspaper, is not only a dig at Norwich but also a clear indication that Fährmann will be returning to Schalke as the ‘GE’ in ‘GEilen’ is a clear reference to the car abbreviation for Gelsenkirchen.
However, it seems the goalkeeper may face as much frustration back home as he has endured at Carrow Road.
While Nubel is departing, the plan is actually to make Markus Schubert, who joined from Dresden in the summer, the new number one.
Schalke are said to consider him a ‘great talent’, and thus there may be a fight on the cards for the current Norwich man to earn back his place.
