FC Goa has completed the signing of defender Marc Valiente, IFTWC can confirm.
“The management & head coach Carlos himself chose to look after some names for Ivan’s replacement. Pena’s former teammate Marc was identified as a potential replacement due to his experience in Segunda.
“Later as negotiations turned out to be positive with Marc, the club official who was on European tour wrapped up the paperwork in the May second week in Spain,” said a source.
Valiente joined Sporting Gijon in 2020 and has made 59 appearances in the Segunda Division since then. The 35-year-old announced his departure from Gijon last month as his contract expired. After two seasons with Partizan, the defender joined Gijon, after making 41 appearances for the Serbian club.
Valiente rose through the ranks of the Barcelona academy, appearing for the Catalan club’s youth teams before joining Sevilla’s reserve squad. Since then, he played for Valladolid in La Liga before joining Maccabi Haifa in Israel, bringing his five-year tenure with Albivioletas to a conclusion. During his time at Valladolid, he played 117 times with Carlos Pena, the current manager of FC Goa. The defender later moved to KAS Eupen in the Belgian league before finding his way back into Spanish Football.
“I want to continue playing for at least one more year,” Marc Valiente remarked during his farewell with Gijon. “I would like to get rid of the thorn in this campaign. I’d like to have a different feeling when I retire. I see myself competing abroad, in a country where I can also spend time with my family while playing football.” This season, Gijon finished 17th in the league table.
So far, FC Goa has been particularly active in the transfer market, securing the services of Arshdeep Singh, Iker Guarrotxena, and Alvaro Vazquez, as well as extending Seriton, Edu Bedia, and Princeton Rebello’s contracts. Ivan Gonzalez’s departure left a need in the defence, which Valiente’s arrival will help to fill.
Carlos Pena, his former teammate, had a significant part in the 35-year-old’s decision to come to India, “Before signing, Carlos and the official spoke with Marc and discussed his role in the team. Marc was also convinced and accepted the offer,” according to the source.
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