Union Sign Midfielder Jamiro Monteiro to Club Record Deal
On January 10th, ESPN reporter Taylor Wellman first broke the news that the Philadelphia Union had signed midfielder Jamiro Monteiro to a DP deal. MLS freelance writer Tom Bogert then unveiled the fee for Monteiro via Twitter.
The Union announced the signing at 5:30 PM EST and confirmed that Jamiro Monteiro completed a permanent transfer from FC Metz in exchange for a $2 million transfer fee. Monteiro signed a new three-year Designated Player contract, with a club option for a fourth year.
After making six appearances with FC Metz, Monteiro was on a four-month loan with the Union in March of 2019 in which he made 26 appearances and 22 starts, scored four goals and added nine assists. Philadelphia had an option to extend the loan throughout the remainder of the season, which they elected pick up. There was an additional Union option to buy Monteiro from FC Metz in which they confirmed the deal tonight.
Jamiro Monteiro served as a box-to-box midfielder in the Union’s lineup last season and plans to resume his duties as a shuttler in the midfield in the 2020 season. The 26-year-old was a key member of the team’s club record 55 points and a first playoff win in 2019, as he continuously kept the midfield organized along with captain Alejandro Bedoya. There were reports that Monteiro would not be returning to Philadelphia, but the Union cleared up enough space on the roster in order to bring the Dutchman back.
That included losing midfielders Haris Medunjanin, Marco Fabian, and Fifa Picault this offseason which warranted FC Metz to accept the transfer fee.
With signing Monteiro to a club-record deal worth $2 million, this breaks the previous record transfer fee which was $1 million spent to acquire Alejandro Bedoya in 2016.
The Union are also the sixth non-expansion team to break their club-record transfer fee this offseason, an intriguing stat that proves Sporting Director Ernst Tanner is willing to spend large amounts of money.
Ernst Tanner spoke about the signing by stating, “We are pleased to have reached an agreement for Jamiro to return to our club. When he joined the club last season, his impact on-field was immediate. He’s aggressive defensively and very strong in transition which fits in perfectly with the style of play we’ve implemented. We look forward to welcoming him back.”
The signing of Monteiro was an essential one and a move that shows the Union are ready to build off their success from 2019. Monteiro’s aggressive style of play will be instrumental to Philadelphia’s attacking style of play in the 2020 season.
Jamiro is versatile in the midfield and showed his dominance on the road in 2019. His biggest moment came in Toronto on May 11th when he scored the game-winning goal on a beautiful give-and-go play to lead Philly to a 2-1 win.
Here’s hoping Jamiro can have more memorable moments with the Union in 2020.
Featured Image: Philadelphia Union
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