Official: Schalke take Jenz on loan
FC Schalke 04 officially confirmed the acquisition of defensive reinforcement Moritz Jenz on Thursday afternoon.
| Moritz Jenz | FC Schalke 04 |
"With Moritz, we are signing a fast and creatively strong central defender who has proven his quality this season in the Champions League, among other things," S04 acting sporting director Peter Knäbel remarked in a statement accompanying the signing, "We've been watching Moritz for some time and are happy to now be able to finalize the transfer."
"I was delighted when I heard that Schalke were interested in me," the former Tennis Borussia academy man himself noted, "Of course, I know the table means that we have a tough road ahead. I'm nevertheless eager to tackle the task together with my new teammates."
Schalke find themselves in need of urgent help at the back. After two error-filled performances from current starting center halve Henning Matriciani, Jenz could potentially start straight away alongside Japanese central defender Maya Yoshida.
Knäbel and S04 head-coach Thomas Reis have recently confirmed that injured centerback Sepp van den Berg - on loan from Liverpool - will need significantly more time before he is fit enough for the starting XI.
After Nilklas Tauer, Tim Skarke, Jere Uronen, and Michael Frey, Jenz counts as the relegation-threatened-side's fifth new January signing. With half of the season now complete, Schalke have accrued just nine points and are seven points adrift from safety in the table.
