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Japan international Maya Yoshida, who has joined Schalke on a free transfer, expressed his surprise after acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported his transfer.
Yoshida, who recently played for Serie A side Sampdoria, signed a one-year deal with the option of another season with the promoted Bundesliga club on Tuesday. Last season, the 33-year-old featured in 26 games for Sampdoria across competitions, registering two goals and three assists.
Before his move to Gelsenkirchen was even finalised, Romano claimed that the player had turned down offers from other clubs, including Turkish club Trabzonspor. Reacting to that, the defender tweeted:
"This guy is incredible. ... even my wife didn't know about Trabzonspor."
The Italian journalist promptly replied:
"Thank you for the kind words, Maya. ... and tell your wife to follow me here if she wants Yoshida updates!"
On completing his move to the Royal Blues, Yoshida told the club's website:
"I'm delighted to get the chance to wear the FC Schalke 04 shirt, and I'm looking forward to getting to know my teammates, the coaching staff and the fans. I attended a match at the VELTINS-Arena many years ago, back when Atsuto Uchida was playing right-back, and I've also followed the Bundesliga with great interest for a long time. Therefore, I'm really pleased to finally become a part of it."
Yoshida, who has earned 119 international caps for Japan, has played for Premier League club Southampton, making 194 appearances across competitions in eight seasons. He has also played for VVV-Venlo in the Netherlands and Nagoya Grampus in Japan.
Schalke sign Maya Yoshida and others ahead of new season
Following their return to the top flight, Schalke announced the appointment of Frank Kramer as their new coach on a two-year deal. The tactician has previously had spells in charge of Arminia Bielefeld, Greuther Furth and Fortuna Dusseldorf.
The Royal Blues finished bottom of the Bundesliga in the 2020-21 season but came straight back up after winning the second division last campaign. They won 20 of 34 games, accumulating 65 points.
Apart from Maya Yoshida, the club have also roped in striker Sebastian Polter, midfielders Florent Mollet and Rodrigo Zalazar. They have snapped up winger Tobias Mohr, centre-backs Leo Greiml and Ibrahima Cisse and left-back Thomas Oujewan too as they look to stay in the German top flight.
