The transfer of schalke professional jermaine jones to besiktas istanbul is perfect. The 32-year-old U.S. International terminated his contract in gelsenkirchen and goes to the city on the bosporus, as schalke announced.
Nothing was disclosed about financial arrangements. "We are pleased that jermaine has found a new club where he can realize his rough sporting goals this year," said schalke manager horst heldt. Jones could recommend himself for the world cup at besiktas. "We didn’t give him the chance to do that in the second half of the season," said heldt.
Shortly before the transfer deadline, everything happened very quickly. Jones flew to istanbul the night before thursday, underwent the obligatory medical checkup and already talked to his new colleagues.
At least since 5. January it was clear that jones would change within a short period of time. At the time, heldt had declared that schalke would not renew the contract with jones, which expires in summer. The champions league eighth finalists had waived the frankfurt am main-born jones in the training camp in doha (qatar) to give him the opportunity to find a new club.
Jones, who comes from the bonames district of frankfurt, played a total of 165 bundesliga games for eintracht frankfurt, bayer leverkusen and schalke, scoring nine goals in the process. In between, he was also active for blackburn rovers in england.
Heldt reacted cautiously to media reports from england that FC arsenal had made an offer for julian draxler shortly before the end of the transfer period. "I’m very sure he’ll stay," declared schalk’s sports director. There is no official offer for draxler.
The "independent" had reported the day before that arsenal was prepared to spend 24.7 million pounds (just under 30 million euros) on a transfer of the german international from gelsenkirchen to london. The fixed transfer fee for draxler is said to be around 45 million euros.
A return of the schalke young star to the squad is currently not yet in sight. The 20-year-old had been injured in the champions league match against FC basel on 11. Suffered a thigh injury in december. "It will take a while before he joins the team again," said coach jens keller.
Schalke captain benedikt howedes to be back in starting lineup for bundesliga match against chasing vfl wolfsburg. He had been absent from sunday’s 3-0 win in hamburg because of a stomach flu. Against the vfl, howede is expected to play on the right in the defensive back four, because etatmabige right defender atsuto uchida is suspended for his fifth yellow card.