Valencia bring in Postiga from Zaragoza
Thursday, August 8, 2013
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New Valencia CF striker Hélder Postiga promised to give his all for the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League challengers after rubber-stamping a move from Real Zaragoza.
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Valencia CF have moved to replace Tottenham Hotspur FC-bound Roberto Soldado by signing forward Hélder Postiga from Real Zaragoza for an initial fee in the region of €3m.
The 31-year-old – who boasts an extensive CV at club and international levels – inked a two year contract at the Mestalla before declaring that he was "looking forward to enjoying my football" with the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League contenders.
A former FC Porto youth product, Postiga went on to score 36 goals in 114 Portuguese top-flight games over three spells with the Dragões. He also won three Liga championships and a UEFA Cup among other titles as a Porto player.
Scorer of 26 goals in 61 internationals for Portugal – with whom he was a UEFA EURO 2004 runner-up – Postiga has also had stints at Tottenham Hotspur FC, AS Saint-Étienne, Panathinaikos FC and Sporting Clube de Portugal. He most recently netted 23 goals in 70 Liga outings for Zaragoza, who were relegated last season.
"I'm deligihted to have arrived at a club like Valencia," the striker said. "I am not here to replace anybody – I have come to be one more player in this team. Soldado was a very important player for Valencia, as were many others, but this is a new era and I am going to give my all to ensure things work out well."
Miroslav Djukić's side begin their forthcoming UEFA Europa League campaign from the group stage.