On Wednesday, Schalke 04 confirmed the signing of Daniel Caligiuri from VfL Wolfsburg. The midfielder signed a three-year-and-a-half deal, until 2020, with his new club. Caligiuri played 97 games with Wolfsburg in Bundesliga as well as 19 games in both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League; he was there since 2013.

A good deal for Schalke 04

With the long term injury of Abdul Rahman Baba, on loan from Chelsea FC for a season, who tore his ACL during a game with Ghana at the African Cup of Nations, Schalke needed a player to reinforce their left side. The player is quite versatile as he can play on the left side as well as on the right. The 29-year-old player will be important for his new club during the second part of the season as they are facing several key injuries.

The experience of the player at the highest level might be precious too. He has played many games in Europe as mentioned above, so he will be a sold addition to a team which plays against PAOK in Europa league in February. Also, the right-footer won the DFB-Pokal and also the DFL-Supercup with Wolfsburg.

VfL Wolfsburg thanked, Schalke happy

On the official club website, Wolfsburg's sporting director, Olaf Rebbe said: "We wish Daniel all the very best and thank him for the effort he always made in the Green-White. I am quite sure that Daniel Caligiuri will maintain contact with VfL."

The player then thanked his former club, "I had three and a half wonderful years in Wolfsburg and I would like to thank all those responsible at VfL, the employees and naturally the fans, for the exceptional time I had here! Together we enjoyed successes but also suffered setbacks."

On the other hand, Christian Heidel, the sporting director of Schalke 04, expressed his thoughts on the arrival of the German-Italian player: "We have signed a versatile player who is capable on both the left and right wings and knows the Bundesliga well." He also added that they accelerated the move following the injury of Baba Rahman, as they found themselves "needing another player in that position". So they decided "to bring forward the deal which was initially arranged for the summer".

The player is delighted to join the famous Bundesliga side: "I was already very pleased when I learned that a club of such rich tradition had interest in me. Speaking to Christian Heidel and Markus Weinzierl helped me make the firm decision." He said, "They made me very excitd at the prospect of joining Schalke and I want to help the club to success."