Southampton announced the signing of Spanish international striker Juanmi from Malaga on Tuesday as the Premier League side wrapped up an $8 million deal for the in-demand attacker.
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Juanmi, 22, made his debut for Malaga as a 16-year-old and broke into the Spanish national team setup in 2015 as the likes of Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa were said to be interested in his services.
He scored eight goals in 28 games for Malaga in La Liga last season and is delighted to be joining Southampton on a four-year deal ahead of their Europa League quest next season.
“Yes, it has always been a dream since I was very young to play in the Premier League,” Juanmi said. “The style of football play in the Premier League is similar to the way I try to play, so it’s a dream come true.”
VIDEO: #SaintsFC completes the signing of Spanish forward Juanmi on a four-year contract.https://t.co/rJ6945MDb1
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) June 16, 2015
Stoke went for a Spanish striker too as they signed Joselu from Hannover 96 for $8 million. Joselu, 25, scored eight times in 30 games for Hannover last season and the former Real Madrid striker will add plenty of quality to Stoke’s current forward line of Peter Crouch, Mame Diouf and Jonathan Walters. Joselu becomes Stoke’s third signing of the summer alongside defender Philipp Wollscheid and goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard.
Potters manager Mark Hughes is delighted to have Joselu on board, as the 6 foot 3 inch forward will slot in well with Stoke’s mixture of physicality and style.
“Joselu has an excellent pedigree and is a player we have been tracking for some time,” Hughes said. “He has skills and attributes that are different to what we already have within the squad but will complement the attacking players we already have at our disposal.”
And New York City FC weren’t too be outdone as Jason Kreis’ side signed two Spanish defenders. The Major League Soccer side signed Andoni Iraola from Athletic Bilbao and Jose Angel Tasende on loan from Manchester City.
Iraola has spent his entire 12-year career with Bilbao and made 510 appearances for the Basque side as well as winning seven caps for the Spanish national team. He has experience of playing in European competition with Bilbao and will bring considerable experience to NYCFC’s backline as they begin to get their debut MLS season on track.
As for Tasende, he joins on loan from NYCFC’s sister club Man City as the Spanish youth international has been watched closely by Kreis furing his time spent with the Citizens before NYCFC made their debut in MLS in March 2015. The 18-year-old will add depth to NYCFC’s backline alongside fellow Man City loanee Shay Facey.