LA Galaxy continue overhaul by selling Juninho to Club Tijuana
LA Galaxy continued their offseason overhaul by selling stalwart midfielder Juninho to Club Tijuana on Wednesday.
Juninho spent the past six seasons with the Galaxy after initially joining on loan from São Paulo in 2010. The assured holding midfielder made 187 appearances and won three MLS Cup titles during his time with the club.
“It has been a privilege and an honor to have worn the LA Galaxy jersey for the past six seasons," Juninho said in a statement released by the Galaxy. "I have worn it with pride, however, it is time to for me to trade in my Galaxy jersey for a new one. I’ve always welcomed the opportunity for growth and change. To play for Club Tijuana in Mexico is a tremendous opportunity for me."
The 26-year-old midfielder is the fourth winter signing for Xolos under the direction of new boss Miguel Herrera. Juninho joins former Santos Laguna winger Alonso Escoboza and veteran central defender Juan Carlos Valenzuela as the key signings ahead of the Clausura.
Thank you @LAGalaxy fans! pic.twitter.com/7OIKLPtb9F
— Juninho (@Juninho19LA) December 24, 2015
Herrera and Tijuana went on the search for reinforcements in the center of the park after Banfield midfielder Nicolas Domingo opted to stay in Argentina. Domingo agreed to terms on a move in early December, but he pulled out of the deal two days later.
Juninho offers a combative, willing option in the center of the park. His combination of reliable passing and rugged tackling fits neatly with the Xolos’ need for more steel ahead of the Clausura.
The decision to sell Juninho to Tijuana marks the second substantial move for the Galaxy in the transfer market in the past couple of days. The club sold Omar Gonzalez to Pachuca for an undisclosed fee on Tuesday.
Both moves stemmed from a need to freshen up the squad and increase the salary budget flexibility to make further changes. Galaxy manager Bruce Arena entered the offseason with critical decisions to make after signing Giovani dos Santos and Steven Gerrard to Designated Player deals during the summer. Those changes left the Galaxy with balance issues in midfield and restricted the latitude to operate during the winter. By selling Gonzalez and Juninho to Liga MX sides, the Galaxy cleared substantial salaries off their budget and generated allocation money to use for further moves this winter.
At this stage, the Galaxy must use at least a portion of those funds to reinforce the spine of the team in the wake of two important departures. LA Galaxy president Chris Klein promised the club would pursue new signings aggressively over the next few weeks.
“We’re going to get a lot of money,” Klein told LA Galaxy Insider on Wednesday. “We’ve got a lot of resources to upgrade our team. This could be a message that the Galaxy plays by the rules, too. We made a decision that was best for Juninho and the Galaxy. He’s meant a tremendous amount to us on and off the field, but this is not an easy thing for us. We’re very confident that we’re going to be able to field a better team in 2016.”
