Jermaine Jones (pictured) has left Schalke to join Turkish side Besiktas JK
Jermaine Jones (pictured) has left Schalke to join Turkish side Besiktas JK

Jones leaves Schalke for Besiktas JK

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Gelsenkirchen - After 129 Bundesliga appearances for FC Schalke 04, has left the Gelsenkirchen club to join Turkish side Besiktas JK.

'Worthy send-off' planned

The 32-year-old, who has featured in 14 matches for the Royal Blues this season, will warm up for this summer's FIFA World Cup in Turkey's Süper Lig after Schalke agreed to free him from the remainder of his contract with them to enable him to pursue his career on the Bosporus.

"We're delighted that Jermaine has found himself a new club where he can reach his sporting goals this year," said Schalke's sporting director Horst Heldt. "With good performances and many appearances for Besiktas, he can lay the foundations for a successful participation in the World Cup in Brazil."

Heldt admitted that Jones would have struggled to obtain as many minutes of action by staying with Schalke, while also paying tribute to his achievements in a Royal Blue shirt. "Our thanks go out to him for all his efforts in a Schalke shirt over the past seven years," Heldt added. "As soon as the opportunity arises, we will still give Jermaine a worthy send-off from Schalke. We wish him all the best for his professional and personal future."

New goals


The USA international joined Schalke from Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of the 2007/08 season and went on to make a total of 182 appearances for the club in all competitions, including 36 in Europe, where he scored three of his total of ten goals. He joins a Besiktas side who are currently fifth in the Turkish top flight, four points behind second-placed Galatasaray AS and a potential place in the UEFA Champions League.