Geovanni jets in for City cameo
Geovanni joins fellow new signings Bianchi and Fernandes at Eastlands
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Tuesday, 17, Jul 2007 09:52
Brazilian striker Geovanni has signed a one-year deal with Manchester City after leaving Cruzeiro on a free transfer.
The 27-year-old had been expected to feature in the Premiership next season, but it was rumoured to be in the blue of Portsmouth where he has been on trial during pre-season.
However new City manager Sven Goran Eriksson has swooped in to steal the former Barcelona and Benifica ace from under the south coast club's noses.
After passing a medical at Eastlands on Monday, Geovanni agreed personal terms earlier today, although he will wait until hiw new team-mates return from a pre-season tour of Sweden before joining the squad.
A starring role in his country's Olympic campaign in Athens in 2000 convinced Barcelona to pay £11 million to prise him away from Cruziero for the first time.
He never settled at the Nou Camp however and was loaned - and finally sold - to Portuguese side Benfica where he won the league and helped knock Manchester United out of the Champions League in 2005.
His return to Cruziero has proved short-lived with just 12 appearances under his belt for the Belo Horizonte oufit before being enticed back to Europe.
Geovanni joins fellow new signings Rolando Bianchi and Gelson Fernandes as Eriksson continues to rebuild a squad he inherited from former manager Stuart Pearce.
So far, City fans are pleased to see the quality of signings coming through the City of Manchester Stadium doors in the hope that their presence will improve upon a disappointing 14th-place finish in the Premiership last season.