“He will give us a huge step forward in quality… He could help us for the next eight or nine weeks.”
The quote from Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl makes the situation sound simple. In reality, it is anything but.
On Thursday, with his team mired in the Championship’s relegation zone, Rohl announced his intention to sign free-agent left-back Nico Schulz. Schulz had been training at the club.
Why is he a free agent? He was released by Borussia Dortmund last year after being charged with domestic abuse. Schulz denied the allegations.
Legal proceedings came to an end this week when the case against him was dropped. Schulz agreed to pay €150,000 (£128,000) to domestic violence charities — but was not convicted, with the case officially dropped.
Sheffield Wednesday’s plans to sign him are still controversial, with the club criticised by fan groups over the proposed transfer. This is the situation.
Who is Nico Schulz?
Schulz, 30, is an attacking left-back who played for several Bundesliga clubs — Hertha Berlin, Borussia Monchengladbach and Hoffenheim — before sealing a move to Borussia Dortmund in 2019.
He struggled at Dortmund — only making 40 league appearances over four seasons — and was marginalised once Edin Terzic took over at the start of the 2022-23…
