Szalai seals Schalke switch
Gelsenkirchen - FC Schalke 04 have bolstered their attacking options for the 2013/14 season by signing striker from 1. FSV Mainz 05.
"A hungry player"
The 25-year-old has signed a four-year contract with the Royal Blues and will wear the number 28 shirt.
"Adam Szalai is an outstanding striker who had a good goalscoring record in Mainz," commented Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt. “Last season showed that our squad needs adding to. Professional competition is important for us in trying to achieve our objectives. Adam is at a very good age and has a strong character. He is a hungry player and wants to achieve great things at Schalke.”
After beginning his career at Budapest Honved, Szalai arrived in Germany in 2004, joining the VfB Stuttgart youth team. He won the U-19 Bundesliga title in 2004/05, before moving on again to the Real Madrid youth academy. After two and a half seasons in the Spanish capital, he returned to Germany on loan at Mainz, making the move permanent in 2010.
Szalai scored 13 Bundesliga goals and contributed three assists in 29 games for Mainz in the 2012/13 season, helping the club to a 13th-placed finish. The powerfully-built frontman netted a total of 24 goals in 85 appearances for the 05ers in his three and half seasons and also has seven goals in 16 games for Hungary.
