Jermaine Jones to Besiktas: Black Eagles Sign Schalke MF on Loan

Jermaine Jones is on the move, the star announced.

Turkish-Football.com was first to report he is going on loan to Besiktas from Schalke for the rest of the season:

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Beşiktaş have signed US international Jermaine Jones on loan from Schalke until the end of the season.

Jones is expected to arrive in Turkey tomorrow to complete his move.

The 32-year-old didn't travel to Schalke's January training camp in Doha and is free to speak to clubs this month, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

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Besiktas International snapped a photo of Jones in Istanbul:

It's likely that the 32-year-old midfielder made this move with a view toward the 2014 World Cup.

While not on the same level as Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey or Michael Bradley, he has become a fixture for the United States national team. Some supporters have criticized him for his penchant for rash tackles and needless yellow cards.

Over time, though, his defensive contributions have often been vital, and he's become a nice foil for Bradley. Jones can sit in front of the back four, allowing Bradley to make more runs around the pitch.

As much success as he's had with the United States, though, his place in the squad isn't guaranteed.

At Schalke, Jones became a bit of a fringe figure, appearing 14 times in the club's 18 Bundesliga matches. More importantly, only nine of those appearances have been starts.

As Jason Davis of the North American Soccer Network pointed out, moving to Turkey is the chance at regular first-team football in a respected European league:

Jurgen Klinsmann has no shortage of midfielders from which to choose, so Jones likely had no shot at getting a starting spot in Brazil if he had stayed at Schalke for the rest of the season.

At his age, this could be the last time he features at a World Cup, so you can understand that he'd want to do whatever it takes to be on that plane for Brazil.

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