SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY have decided against the controversial transfer signing of Nico Schulz amid fan pressure.
The 30-year-old former Borussia Dortmund defender was charged with assaulting his former partner on three separate occasions in 2020 in court last month.
Schulz, who has been capped 12 times by Germany, was ordered to donate over £128,000 to five different charity organisations over a three-month period.
That was for the case to be discontinued after his ex-partner refused to testify, according to various reports.
Amid that investigation, Schulz was released by Dortmund following a four-year period there last summer.
He has since been unemployed but spent time training with Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday last month.
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However an open letter was posted on social media by the Sheffield Wednesday Women’s Supporters Group in which the club was urged not to sign the player.
And now the club’s German coach confirmed after the Owls’ win over Plymouth that he would not be pursuing a deal amid the outcry from supporters.
Danny Rohl told The Star: “I would not normally speak after a game about a player who is not here, that’s not in my mind, but I have made a final decision.
“I’ve said before with transfers that I always look to the whole picture, and that was the same in this case.
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“I’m very happy with my team here, I know Kristian Pedersen will come back soon, and that’s the reason why I will stay with my squad… Nico Schulz will not be coming.”
Schulz came through the ranks at Hertha Berlin before leaving for Gladbach in 2015.
He spent two years there prior to signing for Hoffenheim but it was not long before he was on the move again.
In 2019 Dortmund swooped with a £22m transfer deal and he went on to lift both the DFB Pokal and DFL Supercup with the Yellow Submarine.
Meanwhile, last night’s victory was Wednesday’s fourth-straight triumph.
It is only goal difference that now separates them from safety as they sit on 38 points along with Stoke, Huddersfield and QPR.
They are next in action on Friday when they host promotion hopefuls and neighbours Leeds United.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
