FC Schalke 04 – Goalkeeper Karius arrives

Loris Karius is making his comeback in German professional football and is joining FC Schalke 04. The 31-year-old goalkeeper, who has been without a club since the summer and therefore does not cost the financially struggling Revier club any transfer fees, is now eligible to play for the second division soccer team. His contract runs until the end of the season, the club announced. In return, goalkeeper Ron-Thorben Hoffmann, who was only signed at the start of the season, will leave Schalke and return to Eintracht Braunschweig. Braunschweig is Schalke’s next opponent in the second division on Saturday (1 p.m./Sky). Karius comes with little match practice; he has only played a total of seven competitive games for various clubs in the last four years. The 31-year-old was under contract with English club Newcastle United until the summer. In his career, Karius also played for Liverpool FC, among others. In the Bundesliga he played for FSV Mainz 05 and Union Berlin.