NYCFC sign Héber from Rijeka

Last week, reports surfaced that New York City FC — and the rival New York Red Bulls — were pursuing HNK Rijeka forward Héber Araujo dos Santos. It was widely speculated that the Brazilian attacker would be a hopeful solution to City’s lack of a goal-scoring striker and that he would play the No. 9 should he have been procured.

Earlier this morning, NYCFC announced they had signed Héber from Rijeka on a permanent deal and that he would indeed be played as a striker for the foreseeable future.

The official transfer fee was not disclosed — early reports seemed to indicate a fee of over $3 million — but City did reveal that Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) was used to secure Héber.

With Rijeka, Héber scored 25 goals in 38 appearances after joining the Croatian side in 2017. Héber’s contributions to the club have been massive, scoring in UEFA Champions League qualifying matchups as well as being a key part to the club in their efforts to qualify for the Europa League. Héber’s goalscoring prowess with Rijeka was rewarded in he 2017/18 season when he was given the “SN Yellow Shirt Award”, which is the highest individual accolade for a player in Prva HNL.

We at Hudson River Blue would like to welcome Héber to the Big Apple and hope that his presence will bring continued success on the pitch.