New club, new mission. Tomas Kalas has joined a big German club after finishing in England. The target? To return him to where he belongs, the Sigma Olomouc alumnus is clear

Tomas Kalas has been a free agent since the end of last season. For the last few years he has been a player of English Bristol in the second league. But now he is heading for a better one. He has signed for a German big club and wants to help them get back to where they belong.

The Sigma Olomouc graduate left Haná in 2010 as a great talent for Chelsea in England, but he never really made a name for himself there, even though he played in their A-team. He was sent on loan for a long time before leaving for Bristol in the summer of 2018, who bought him out a year later.

At Bristol, Tomas Kalas played regularly in the English second division. He even tried out for the role of captain. But lately he has been plagued by injuries and he hasn’t been able to return to the lineup because of them either.

His contract expired at the end of last season and he didn’t agree on a new one. At the age of 30, he became a free agent and waited for offers. But now he has a new engagement and at a very prestigious address.

For the second time in his career, Kalas will look to Germany, where he previously played for Cologne, but did not play for them. This time he will be a Schalke player, for whom he is signed until 2025.

The Gelsenkirchen side is one of the biggest clubs in Germany, but now they play in the second league, where they were relegated after an unsuccessful season in the Bundesliga.

“Tomas will add more quality to our defensive line. He has experience, will take responsibility on the pitch and lead our team,” sporting director André Hechelmann praised his arrival to the club’s website.

Among other things, Kalas is expected to increase competition. Coach Thomas Reis appreciates his speed, his strength in battles and his resilient mentality. But first he needs to get into shape so he can quickly integrate into the line-up.

“After my engagement at Bristol, I consciously took the time to think about where I could take the next step in my career and which club is best for me. It’s a huge honour to have been approached by Schalke. I didn’t have to think about his offer for long. I will do everything I can to get it back where it belongs,” Kalas said.

But there’s a catch. Schalke has made a bad start to the season and after four rounds of the second league has only three points for a single win. So we find them in 16th place as the third worst team in the second league competition.

Source: Schalke 04, Transfermarkt