Deulofeu and Banega add to Sevilla influx
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
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"Sevilla were always my first option," said Gerard Deulofeu after joining on loan from FC Barcelona while Éver Banega has also signed to be reunited with coach Unai Emery.
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"The players who have come in will certainly help us become a stronger outfit," said Sevilla FC president José Castro as the club unveiled their latest signings Gerard Deulofeu and Éver Banega.
Forward Deulofeu, a winner of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship with Spain in 2011 and 2012, arrives on a season's loan from FC Barcelona, having spent the 2013/14 campaign in the Premier League with Everton FC. Midfielder Banega joins on a permanent deal from Valencia CF, with the transfer fee undisclosed.
"I'm happy to be here," said the 20-year-old Deulofeu on linking up with the UEFA Europa League holders. "[Barcelona manager] Luis Enrique said I wouldn't get a lot of playing time, and Sevilla were always my first option.
"I think it's an important year and I'm not thinking about anything else," added Deulofeu, who made his senior Spain debut against Bolivia in May. "I want to enjoy it, to learn at this great club and help them achieve their objectives."
The 26-year-old Banega, an Olympic gold medallist with Argentina in 2008, is reunited with Sevilla coach Unai Emery, with whom the playmaker worked between 2009 and 2012 at Valencia. He spent the first half of this year back in Argentina with CA Newell's Old Boys, having made the last of his 136 Liga outings for the Mestalla side.
"If we didn't have a good relationship, I wouldn't be here," Banega said. "My relationship with him was terrific and I cannot wait to be at the coach's disposal."
The pair's recruitment means that eight new players have reinforced Sevilla, with Aleix Vidal, Iago Aspas, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Hélder Barbosa, Alejandro Arribas and Denis Suárez all preceding them. Sevilla await the outcome of the UEFA Europa League group stage draw to learn who their opposition will be as they seek to defend the title won in Turin in May.