Deadline day brought a last-gasp departure for FC Schalke 04, as Johannes Geis completed a loan move to Sevilla FC, which will last until the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
Geis becomes Sevilla's 9th signing of the summer and another player in the long list of departees at Schalke, as he hopes to showcase his talent in midfield in the world of La Liga.
Geis wished to leave Schalke
Geis joined Schalke in the summer of 2015, after an impressive season with 1.FSV Mainz 05, and made a positive impact in his debut season in Gelsenkirchen, making a total of 28 appearances in that season.
The 2016/17 campaign could've gone better than how it went for Schalke as they finished 10th in the Bundesliga standings and missed out on European qualification yet again.
Geis played the pre-season with Schalke, however, he did not make any appearances in the league for his team before departing for Sevilla on loan.
Schalke Sporting Director Christian Heidel clarified the sudden nature of the move and explained it wasn't the "club's plan" to make Geis leave. Heidel said,"He came to us [on Wednesday] night and asked us to give him the opportunity to go to Sevilla for ten months."
The permanent arrival of Nabil Bentaleb from Tottenham Hotspur may have played a part in Geis' wish to leave Schalke and after "careful consideration", Heidel said," After careful consideration, we decided to grant his wish".
Geis grateful to Schalke for the opportunity
The German transfer window had already closed on the 31st of August, however, the Spanish window was set to close on the midnight of September 1st, which meant that the clubs in Spain could still conduct business.
Sevilla took advantage of that and brought Geis to their ranks, in a summer of rebuilding for Eduardo Berizzo's side, who finished 4th in La Liga last term.
Geis was delighted to have completed the loan move and appreciated Schalke for allowing him to play first team football in Spain. He said," I'm very grateful to Schalke for giving me the opportunity to join Sevilla".
Now that the transfer window business is done, Schalke will be looking to bounce back after the loss at Hannover 96. Their next game will be at the Veltins Arena as they host newly promoted Vfb Stuttgart.