Friday was quite the day to be an Orlando City SC supporter with widespread reports emerging that the Lions are on the brink of sealing a transfer for experienced Portuguese international star Nani.
On Friday evening (UK time), journalist Paul Tenorio confirmed that James O’Connor‘s side are “in the final stages of negotiations” to sign the Sporting Lisbon forward as a Designated Player on a free transfer.
What would be a huge marquee signing for Orlando City SC and undoubtedly the second most high profile arrival in club history following Kaká, the capture of Nani would bring an invaluable amount of experience to Central Florida.
The 32-year-old is a veteran of 112 caps for Portugal and was part of The Navigators‘ UEFA European Championship winning squad of 2016, not to mention being a four-time Premier League winner and one-time UEFA Champions League winner during his nine-year spell at Manchester United.
Following Luiz Muzzi‘s arrival as Orlando City SC‘s new Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations earlier this off-season, there has been a clear shift in transfer policy towards recruiting youth.
Whilst this has been admirable to an extent, you still felt the current roster still lacked true leadership and the presence of a high calibre player to guide the club’s younger professionals in 2019.
While only time will tell whether Nani can successfully use all of his experience and knowhow to create an impact in Major League Soccer, there is no doubt that this is a transfer that has caught the imagination of the entire league.
With Orlando City UK and Orlando City SC supporters everywhere hoping this deal will get across the finish line in the very near future, immediate focus switches to which player loses Designated Player status.
Orlando City SC would have to buy down a current Designated Player or buy out a contract and right now, you’d imagine that Josué Colmán would surrender his Designated Player status rather than either Dom Dwyer or Sacha Kljestan.
Additionally, it’s also worth noting that Nani is currently the club captain at Sporting Lisbon and with Sacha Kljestan and Will Johnson having worn the captain’s armband in Jonathan Spector‘s absence through injury last season, Nani could well adopt this role going forward.
Given the current furore surrounding Nani’s impending switch to Orlando City SC, Orlando City UK are questioning whether THIS is how the winger, also formerly on the books of Fenerbahçe, Valencia and Lazio, could fit into the Lions’ starting XI.
