New York City signs Girona’s Eloi Amagat

The first of at least two expected signings for New York City FC was announced yesterday in midfielder Eloi Amagat. Head coach Dome Torrent has mentioned that the team would be looking for a versatile midfield player that has experience and can perform in different roles, and the team gets that in Amagat.

Amagat can play multiple positions (surely part of his appeal), with Torrent likely to deploy him in a 6, 8, or 10 role. Considering the current players at those starting positions for the club, Amagat likely will be part of the supporting cast instead of being a regular starter; an insurance policy should NYC lose another key midfield piece for some time.

Amagat joins on an expiring contract from from fellow City Football Group club, Girona FC. The move will re-join Amagat with Torrent who was on the staff for Girona during the 2005-2006 seasons. Familiarity has to be a key factor in trusting that the manager will be able to pull along the new signing quickly in time for what is hoped to be a long playoffs for the Boys in Blue.

His contract with NYCFC is only for the rest of the 2018 season, so it’s hard to see if Amagat will be in New York beyond this year. The club has a tendency to overhaul the roster at the end of the season but if they are able to secure the player another campaign or two on a reasonable contract, there is plenty of reason to have a dependable bench player stick around.

Now, some stats on Eloi Amagat:

• He began his professional career at Girona in 2004 and helped them gain promotion to the Segunda División for the first time in 49 years in 2008.
• He played 16 matches in the 2016-17 campaign as Girona gained promotion to La Liga — the top division in Spain — for the first time in club history. The midfielder made his debut in the Spanish top flight on February 16, 2018. Surely a very special moment for the hometown guy.
• Amagat’s best season came in 2013-14 when he made 34 appearances for Girona and scored 4 goals and provided 6 assists
• His current value on Transfermarkt is listed at £180k