Chicago Fire has officially announced that they have signed Argentinian midfielder Nicolas Gaitan from Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifeng on Thursday. Gaitan, who played for La Liga giants Atletico Madrid among other clubs, inked a one-year deal with a club option for 2020.
Fire completed the deal by using Discretionary Targeted Allocation Money (DTAM) and Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). They also had to pay $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to the Seattle Sounders for the player’s discovery rights.
“We have wanted to add another attacking piece and believe Nico’s dynamism, and play-making ability could be a perfect fit,” – said club president Nelson Rodriguez in a statement.
“Nicolas is a player that can destabilize any defense in this league. He has an enormous amount of talent and is still in his prime. We’re eager to get the most out of his attacking creativity,” added head coach Veljko Paunovic.
Nicolas Gaitan started his career in native Argentina with Boca Juniors before moving to Portuguese side Benfica in 2010. He spent six seasons with Benfica, winning several trophies including, after which he earned a transfer to Atletico Madrid.
In his two seasons with Atletico, Gaitan struggled to fit in and didn’t play on his usual level. He then decided to make a move to China in February 2018 and sign with Dalian where he played 29 games and scored two goals alongside seven assists.
