Vella Returns To Newell's

Luciano Vella returns to Newell's Old Boys, having signed a three year deal with the club that gave him his start. The 29 year old defender began his career with La Lepra in 2002 playing in 110 matches before moving to Spanish club Cádiz in 2005. His years in Spain were not as pleasant as they might have been, as the team was relegated after the 2005-06 season. In 2008 he returned to Argentina on loan to play for Vélez Sársfield, but only played six matches before Rapid Bucharest of Romania picked him up on a transfer. This past season, Vella once again returned to play in Argentina, this time on loan from Rapid to Independiente.

I stated previously that I wondered why Newell's were after him, but, having done a bit more research on the player I now understand his signing. Not only can he play right back, but he is also capable of moving up to play in the right midfield slot. I have played quite a few futbol manager simulators over the years, and part of my strategy has always been picking up players who are versatile, who can play more than one position, so suddenly this signing ranks as a brilliant. He'll fill the void left when Nahuel Roselli returned to Aldosivi.

I haven't been able to confirm if this is a true transfer, or a loan deal, but, as most loans are for 12 months at the most, I'd have to guess it's the latter.

Two other players that are on Sensini's shopping list are 32 year old Uruguayan striker Hernán Rodrigo López and 21 year old attacking midfielder Leandro Velázquez, both currently at Vélez. López has bounced around quite a bit during his career, but has a good scoring record, so he could be a good signing. Velázquez has yet to really prove himself, having only played in 31 matches sense breaking into El Fotrin's first team.

Newell's are also still in the hunt to bring Nicolás Pavlovich back into the fold, but Estudiantes LP have also made their interest in El Buitre (the Vulture) known as well. This could well be described as a battle between the heart and the purse strings, as Pavlovich started his career with Newell's, but Estudiantes are in better financial shape, and thus could offer a more lucrative contract.