56-time Portuguese international, who was a free agent for over three months, finally joins club
Portuguese defensive midfielder Miguel Veloso had been without a club since the 1st of July - dating back to when his contract with Italian side Genoa expired. But three months on, his future has finally been determined as he completes a move back to the Serie A outfit for the third time in his career.
Capped 56 times for Portugal, Miguel Veloso is a proven and accomplished central midfielder, having represented Portugal at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, as well as at the Euros in 2012, where he helped Portugal reach the semi-final, only to be knocked out by eventual champions Spain on penalties. Tenacious, composed on the ball and a good reader of the game, it was clear that Veloso still had a huge amount to offer many club’s across the continent, and re-signing for Genoa seems like a perfect solution.
The defensive midfielder - who is also perfectly adept at being utilised in the left-back position, played 22 of Genoa’s Serie A games as they secured a 12th place finish in the league. The season before that he was also something of a regular, featuring in 23 Serie A games, a starter in the vast majority. The only reason he didn't play more in either season, in fact, was due to injury, which sidelined him for a significant spell in each of the last two campaigns.
Now currently injury free, however, Veloso, a Gestifute client, is ready to embark upon another chapter in his footballing career with Genoa, who currently sit 11th in Italy’s top flight, just a point off Roma and 4 points off the Champions League places.
The former Benfica academy product, who joined rivals Sporting when just 14 years of age in 2000 - who he went on to play for 156 times across all competitions - had been tentatively linked with moves to both Everton and Wolves - managed by Portuguese coaches Marco Silva and Nuno Espirito Santo respectively - in the months after his release, although Marco Silva quickly denied being in the market for any free agents, while links to Wolves were wide of the mark.
Another Premier League club that were linked with the former Portugal international is West Ham, who started the season in an abysmal vein of form, failing to pick up a single point from their first four Premier League matches. The London club, managed by Manuel Pellegrini, were rumoured to be looking to add the experienced face of Veloso to their squad to help shore up their backline.
A return to Sporting was also seen as a possible destination for Veloso, who would act as additional cover in the defensive midfield position after William Carvalho left the club for Real Betis in the summer.
But Genoa have taken up the chance to re-sign their former midfielder, who also offers the versatility of being able to cover the left-back position, making him an ideal player to have in the squad. Having spent the last two seasons at Genoa, Veloso also represented the Italian club between 2010 and 2012.
While the move back to his former club has take place after the transfer window slammed shut in August, free agents are still able to be acquired, which is why the move has been possible for Veloso, who also represented Dynamo Kiev for four years between 2012 and 2016.
