CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy’s newest Designated Player is poised for his new American adventure.
The Galaxy announced the signing of French winger Romain Alessandrini on Tuesday to be the club’s latest Designated Player. The 27-year-old formerly of Olympique Marseille joins the Galaxy after 10 years in his native France and will become the team’s second Designated Player along with Giovani dos Santos.
Swapping the South of France with Southern California may seem like a huge change for the pacey Frenchman, but Alessandrini believes that he’s ready for his new challenge and to follow in the footsteps of some of the club's past DPs.
“This is the best club in the United States. It’s very fortunate for me to come here,” Alessandrini told LAGalaxy.com. “There were a lot of good players like [Steven] Gerrard and [David] Beckham, and for me, it was an inspiration to come here and play for this club. It was very good to sign for the Galaxy.”
During his career in France, the 27-year-old appeared at his hometown Marseille as well as Renne, FC Gueugnon and Clermont Foot Auvergne 63, tallying 31 goals and 21 assists in the first division. The winger’s most recent stop came at Marseille where he notched 11 goals and nine assists in nearly three seasons with the club.
A left-footed winger who can play on either side of midfield as well as in a number 10 role, if needed, Alessandrini figures to slot right into a new look Galaxy midfield that added U.S. international Jermaine Jones and Portuguese midfielder João Pedro in recent weeks.
“He’s an exciting player in the final third. He’s got the ability to take players on one-on-one, he has the ability to score. Technically he’s very good, and he’s very explosive,” General Manager Pete Vagenas told LA Galaxy Insider. “He’s the type of player that our fans and our club can identify with. He’s the type of player that can help us win games.”
Alessandrini is expected to join the Galaxy for preseason in the coming weeks after the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and his P1-Visa. And once all the paperwork is complete, the Frenchman can get down to the real reason he came to Los Angeles: winning.
“The most important thing is to win the championship, to win a lot of games, and for me personally, to score a lot of goals and assists,” he said. “I want to play and enjoy this city as well.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atLAGalaxy.com/insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
