Jamiro’s Back! Union sign the versatile midfielder to a three-year DP contract

The Philadelphia Union announced Friday evening that they had paid a $2 million dollar transfer fee to FC Metz to permanently sign midfielder Jamiro Monteiro. The versatile midfielder will be in Philadelphia for at least the next three years as he signed a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year! This is a huge pickup for Philly, and it’s something that not many thought would happen.

When the Union lost to Atlanta United in the playoffs this past October, there was already speculation swirling about the Union’s loanee midfielder Jamiro Monteiro. The crafty midfielder created a spark that led the Union to a great 2019 season and their first-ever playoff victory! His loan was set to expire on December 31st, 2019, and there was not much stirring on if the Union was going to negotiate with Monteiro’s then club FC Metz.

It has been a common occurrence for the Union to sign a talented player to a loan deal and then said player was never heard from again. When there was not so much as a peep of a rumor for almost two months, it was to be assumed that the Union was not going to negotiate with FC Metz or that the price to sign Monteiro was too high.

Then these rumors came out:

[ #MERCATO ] Dans sa vidéo accordée au site officiel, Philippe Gaillot a annoncé que le @FCMetz et Philadelphie discutaient pour une cession définitive de Jamiro Monteiro. Le directeur sportif messin a également déclaré travailler sur un départ définitif de Gerónimo Poblete. pic.twitter.com/7rdzsiDVMY
— TEAM GRENAT (@TeamGrenat) December 28, 2019

@PhilaUnion and @FCMetz still discussing potential permanent transfer of Jamiro Monteiro – @FCMetz likely has watched Ernst Tanner’s accumulation of allocation $ and wants to do business. https://t.co/HAylFVYrdF
— Union Rumors (@UnionRumors) December 31, 2019

Just before the New Year, it seemed that Ernst Tanner and the Union front office were indeed in negotiations to bring Monteiro back to Philadelphia permanently. After these rumors came out the Union was also linked to some other midfielders, and many thought that the negotiations with FC Metz and Monteiro were going south. Then out of the blue, we got a Twellman-Bomb

Great work by the @PhilaUnion front office to get Monteiro done and signing him to a DP deal!!!!! Smart transaction for a franchise that is on the up and up. #MLS
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) January 10, 2020

This set social media ablaze and made it very hard to get anything productive done throughout the day! After long hours of speculation, the club made the signing official!

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🐍 HE’S BACK 🐍
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📝👉 https://t.co/J8DmY1LjWk #DOOP https://t.co/Gj1h1imr30 https://t.co/mfBtnVd3wr
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) January 10, 2020

Three more years of Jamiro! #DOOP pic.twitter.com/C7egWgmqMT

— Tim Lovenguth (@Tim_Lovenguth) January 10, 2020

Monteiro’s three-year deal with a fourth option is huge, and getting a player of Jamiro’s quilty will be a huge asset for the Union as they look to move forward from their most successful season in club history. Jamiro’s versatility will make the Union true contenders for years to come.

He can cover any spot needed; he can play the 10 because his attacking attributes make him a creative nightmare for defenses. His defensive tenacity means he could play the base of the diamond or either shuttler position or even on the wing! His addition for at least three years will make success the standard!

With preseason only a few weeks away, the Union is putting together a good squad. There’s still more room for Ernst Tanner to add more players. We’ll see if he and the front office are able to add another DP level player or another diamond in the rough that becomes a star in MLS!