FC Schalke 04, Peter Balette, Assistant Coach, Karel Geraerts from

Ex-Club Brugge assistant coach Karel Geraerts takes over at Schalke

Peter Balette also joins Bundesliga club's backroom staff

Former Club Brugge assistant coach Karel Geraerts has taken over as head coach of Bundesliga club Schalke 04.

The 44-year-old Belgian has signed a contract until 2025 and will be joined by former Schalke player Peter Balette as his assistant. Geraerts replaces Dimitrios Grammozis, who was sacked on Monday after a run of poor results. Schalke are currently bottom of the Bundesliga table, having won just one of their last 10 games. Geraerts has a good reputation in Belgium, having won the Belgian Cup with Club Brugge in 2015. He also led the club to the Champions League knockout stages in 2018/19. Balette, meanwhile, is a former Schalke captain who made over 200 appearances for the club. He has been working as a youth coach at Schalke since 2019. Schalke will be hoping that Geraerts and Balette can help them avoid relegation from the Bundesliga. The club has not been relegated from the top flight since 1988. Geraerts' first game in charge will be at home to Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.