After leaving Newcastle months after his wife said it was too “inconvenient,” a former footballer has experienced an injury setback after joining a new team.
Goalie Loris Karius made two appearances during his two seasons at St. James’ Park in 2022–2024.
Among such appearances was in the 2023 Carabao Cup final, where Martin Dubravka and Nick Pope were behind him in the standings but were out by injury and suspension, respectively.
After his contract expired last summer, he left the Magpies.
In March, Karius was persuaded to join a club in Italy by his wife, Diletta Leotta, who works as a television presenter in Milan and was interviewed by Tuttosport.
“I would love it if he could come play in Italy and be near his family,” she added.
“With no direct flights, Newcastle is incredibly inconvenient. Not in reference to Amsterdam or Paris.
When Karius joined Schalke of the German Bundesliga 2 in January, he (presumably) found a happy medium.
Initially, he was the team’s backup to first-choice goalie Justin Heekeren. However, he was given the opportunity to start four straight games, earning a berth in the Bundesliga 2 Team of the Week after his first performance.
On March 30, nevertheless, he made five stops in Schalke’s 3-3 tie against Furth before being replaced just before halftime.
The Germany international is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to an injury to the “structural muscle” in his left calf, the club has officially announced.
“Our medical staff and I will do everything we can to help Loris recover,” stated Youri Mulder, Schalke’s director of football.
“His injury comes at a frustrating time but his health is the most important thing.”
With his contract just expiring at the end of the season, it is unclear if Karius has played his final game for the team.
Last summer, the 31-year-old decided not to sign with a Saudi Arabian team, and negotiations with an unidentified Italian team ended, he told SPORTbible in December.
In the first part of the season, Karius spent time with his family while waiting for a new club. He also worked as a DJ at a number of important events, such as the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, after becoming very interested in the sport during the COVID-19 lockout.
“Doing a third year [at Newcastle] didn’t really make sense for me,” he clarified. I don’t know.
“I questioned myself if I would receive games and if I was the second choice. It wasn’t easy. Eddie Howe, the coach, would have preferred that I stay, but overall, the package didn’t make sense for a third year. It was time to go on. After two fantastic years, a change was needed.
It didn’t work out in the end, despite my conversations with teams. At the time, it was unfortunate that extensive discussions with a team in Italy did not materialise.
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