Emmanuel Boateng is expected to be a part of a new-look LA Galaxy midfield.
By Ivan Yeo
The Los Angeles Galaxy completed the revamping of its midfield in Tuesday when it signed French Midfielder Romain Alessandrini to a designated player contract.
Alessandrini comes to LA from Ligue 1 club Marseille, where he featured in 57 matches and scored 11 goals in all competitions. His playing time however had decreased, as he featured in just eight matches and his playing time likely would’ve decreased further with Marseille having just recently purchased Dimitri Payet. The Galaxy according to sources paid a $1.75 million transfer fee and Alessandrini will earn a salary of $2 million.
The acquisition of Alessandrini caps off the shifting of the Galaxy midfield. Alessandrini is one of two new arrivals to the StubHub Center, as he joins Portuguese midfielder Joao Pedro Almeida Machado, who was signed earlier in the month from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes. Alessandrini will likely play at the right midfield position, with Joao Pedro most likely teaming with Sebastian Lletget in the central midfield and Emmanuel Boateng, who had a breakout 2016 season, occupying the left midfield spot. The Galaxy had also added Jermaine Jones to bolster its depth in the middle third.
The signings of Alessandrini, 27, and Joao Pedro, 23, aligns with the Galaxy’s recent trend of looking for younger, more cheaper impact signings. The Galaxy also have one open DP spot left, which many expect will be filled in the summer transfer window.
