Monday, 7th January, 2013
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has spoken about why he chose to snub offers from England to sign a new contract at Schalke.
Huntelaar’s deal was due to expire at the end of the season and he was strongly linked with Arsenal and Liverpool; indeed, former Dutch striker Erik Meijer claimed a deal was all but done to take the 29-year-old to the Gunners, something Huntelaar quickly rebuffed.
But Huntelaar pulled a rabbit out of the hat and re-signed with Schalke, putting pen to paper on a contract through until 2015.
And in so doing he ended the chance of a potential move to England.
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"That was the trade-off, Schalke or England", Huntelaar told German daily Bild.
"For me, it is not the most important thing to have played everywhere. I want to feel good and I have that feeling here", he added, in a nod to having already played in Spain, Italy and now Germany; it had been thought he would choose England to complete the set.
"In November we talked for the first time.
"After the match against Olympiacos, I myself made the decision. In December, everything had come about.
"Schalke is a super club. The stadium is always full, the fans are top notch. There is always something happening here, in good times and bad. It is never boring. I need that."
So far this season Huntelaar has hit the back of the net five times in 17 Bundesliga games, while he has been lethal in the Champions League, netting four times in Schalke’s six group games.
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