Johannes Geis has revealed that he chose to join Schalke 04 instead of Borussia Dortmund because they wanted him more.
The 21-year-old completed his move from Mainz 05 in June, signing a four-year contract with the Bundesliga side.
Geis had been linked with a move to Dortmund but decided to join rivals Schalke instead, saying that they made a "bigger effort" in persuading him to join.
"Schalke just made a bigger effort [than Dortmund to sign me].[Breitenreiter] told me up front what he demands of me and told me I can become part of something big growing at the club," Geis said, according to Goal.com.
"That motivated me to come here even more. Although Schalke are one of the biggest clubs in Europe, he told me to play without fear of failing, and gave me time. But I want to quickly prove that my signing was the right one for this club.
"I wanted to join a club where I woud play regularly, so Schalke were the best to talk to. The team must prove themselves and make up for last season."
The Germany Under-21 international helped Mainz secure top-flight football for another year last season, making 34 appearances and scoring four times.
Sam McEvoy
