It’s official… again! As of 1:33PM the LA Galaxy sent out a press release confirming the signing of Giovani Dos Santos.
In the press release the LA Galaxy confirmed that:
“In order to accommodate Dos Santos as a Designated Player on the Galaxy roster, Targeted Allocation Money was used to lower the budget charge of Omar Gonzalez, freeing a Designated Player slot.”
This is MLS’ first use of the Targeted Allocation Money rule that we wrote about earlier.
Giovani Dos Santos is expected to join the LA Galaxy in August, after the conclusion of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
- Name: Giovani dos Santos
- Position: Forward
- Height: 5-10
- Weight: 157
- Birthdate: May 11, 1989
- Birthplace: Monterrey, Mexico
- Citizenship: Mexico
Also from the press release:
Bruce Arena, LA Galaxy Head Coach / General Manager:
“Giovani is a special player. He has experience and success competing at the highest level and we believe he will only continue to develop. We are happy to add him to our roster and have confidence he can be an integral part of our success going forward.”
Chris Klein, LA Galaxy President:
“We are committed to assembling the best roster that will compete for championships year in and year out. Giovani is yet another testament to that effort by Mr. Anschutz and our ownership group, who have continued to provide every resource for us to win. We’re proud to add Giovani to a list of great players who have represented the Galaxy.”
Dan Beckerman, AEG President:
“Our goal is to be the best club in North America and continuing to invest in top players is part of that objective.” Giovani fits the category of someone who will help the Galaxy continue to be the most successful club in Major League Soccer. We are excited to add a world-class talent to an already championship caliber team.”
Video Interviews from Bruce Arena and Chris Klein On Giovanni Dos Santos (Courtesy of the LA Galaxy)
After weeks of rumors and near-confirmations, it’s official: Giovani Dos Santos is joining the LA Galaxy. A report from the LA Times pegged the 26-year-old’s contract at 4 1/2 years, for a figure speculated to be somewhere around $6 million a year.
Galaxy signs Mexico star midfielder Giovani Dos Santos http://t.co/8mt0cyrjhY
— Kevin Baxter (@kbaxter11) July 15, 2015
Unlike previous reported confirmations, the LA Times piece quotes Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena directly. “He has the individual flair that sometimes we lack in the final third of the field,” Arena told reporter Kyle Baxter. And Chris Klein, club president, is also on the record:
“There’s a lot of things that have to happen for a deal of this magnitude,” Galaxy President Chris Klein said. “We’ve had an interest in Giovani Dos Santos. And I think he’s always had an interest in us. It just took time for everything to come together.”
The article originally featured a different, and somewhat pointed, quote from the coach who cut his teeth managing David Beckham’s star-status. It was quickly removed in an update, but we’ve preserved it here:
“It’s going to be a challenge for him,” Galaxy Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena said. “He’s not been at a club yet where he’s had those kind of responsibilities. And he’s in a community where he’s going to be sought after. He’s going to have to be mature about it.”
We’ll have more on what the signing means for the team, including where Dos Santos fits into LA’s lineup, in the coming hours. For now, Galaxy fans may want to lock down tickets for the August 9th game against Seattle — there’s a good chance that’s the date Dos Santos will first see the field in LA.