Jan Simak has joined German Bundesliga club Mainz from rivals VfB Stuttgart.

The 31-year old Czech midfielder has signed an 18-month contract with the Rhineland-Palatinate outfit and his signing was welcomed by coach Thomas Tuchel.

"Jan Simak further expands our options in attack," he told the club's official website.

"He is a player who can directly help us."

Simak joined Stuttgart from Carl Zeiss Jena in 2007 and prior to that enjoyed stints with Hannover, Bayer Leverkusen and Sparta Prague.