The New England Revolution officially announced the signing of Spanish midfielder Carles Gil on Wednesday after weeks of rumors and speculation.
Gil, who will wear No. 22, joins New England from Spanish second tier side Deportivo La Coruña as the club’s sole Designated Player. The Spaniard signed a multiyear deal worth an estimated $2 million. The club also reportedly paid a $2 million transfer fee to secure his services—something uncommon for New England.
The 26-year-old spent time playing in both Spain with Elche, La Coruña, and Valencia along with a short tenure in England with Aston Villa. Gil is not the most prolific offensive player, with only 10 goals and 16 assists to his name throughout his career. However, Gil has made headlines in the past for his eye-catching goals and impressive skill moves.
Gil is a versatile midfielder who can play either as an attacking midfielder in a No. 10 role or on the right wing. Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said in a press release that he expects Gil to be a main playmaker for the club.
“He’s very technical on the ball and he’s a creator,” Burn said. “He’s an attacking midfielder, a number-10 type player. I think he’s going to add a dimension to our team that we don’t currently have and hopefully make all the players around him a little bit better.”
Head coach Brad Friedel told revolutionsoccer.net that Gil is fully fit and expects him to feature in the upcoming preseason games in Marbella, Spain.
“He was in the middle of [the La Liga] season so there won’t be any issues whatsoever,” Friedel said. “We’ll take him through a couple of training sessions and we’ll see if he gets a runout on Friday. If not Friday, then it’ll definitely be the match after that.”
As the Revolution’s sole DP, Gil has a tremendous amount of pressure and responsibility on his shoulders. While his scoring and assist record is less than stellar, his skill and versatility mean he could become a meaningful contributor to the Revolution attack. The Revolution lacked a true quality No. 10 in their attack last season after trading Lee Nguyen to LAFC, and Gil could just be the spark the Revolution attack needs.
