Welliton wends his way to Spartak

Brazilian forward Welliton Soares has become FC Spartak Moskva's first signing of the summer after completing a move from Goiás EC for an initial €6m fee.

On hold
The 20-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Premier-Liga leaders potentially paying a further €2m depending on appearances and Spartak's performances at home and in the UEFA Champions League. The striker secured his move to Moscow on 15 July but the transfer was put on hold as Welliton's wife was due to give birth.

Fond farewell
Welliton said farewell to Brazilian football by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win against Santos FC on 25 July - his 15th in 41 league appearances. "Last week was crazy for me in a good way," Welliton told uefa.com. "Last Wednesday I scored and helped Goiás to a win to say thanks to the supporters and the club for the two years I spent there. On Saturday, I became a father and today I start a new phase in my career. Now I am a Spartak player."

Other offers
FC Basel 1893, FC Dynamo Kyiv, FC Dinamo Moskva and FC Lokomotiv Moskva are all said to have taken an interest in Welliton but the player elected to join Spartak, saying: "I had plenty of offers but together with the Goiás president we chose Spartak. Goiás were happy about the transfer fee, while I want to play in the UEFA Champions League and I know Spartak have more fans than any other club in Russia." Spartak start their UEFA Champions League campaign in the third qualifying round as 2006 Premier-Liga runners-up.