On loan no more: Real Salt Lake signs Brazilian midfielder Everton Luiz on permanent transfer

Atlanta United defender Julian Gressel (24) and Real Salt Lake midfielder Everton Luiz (25) fight for the ball during an MLS game at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on Friday, May 24, 2019. Real Salt Lake won 2-1.

Luiz was on loan from S.P.A.L. in Italy. RSL exercised the purchase option, bringing him to Utah on a permanent basis

SALT LAKE CITY — Everton Luiz is going to stay with Real Salt Lake, permanently.

The club has exercised the purchase option on Luiz, it announced Wednesday afternoon, bringing him to RSL on a permanent transfer from Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor (S.P.A.L.) in Italy’s Serie A.

“We are thrilled to be able to keep a foundational piece of our midfield,” RSL general manager Elliot Fall said in a press release. “He joined us in 2019 and quickly established himself as a key contributor to everything we are trying to do.”

Real Salt Lake brought Luiz in on loan this past season and the 31-year-old Brazilian midfielder made a instant impact, starting in 24 of his 27 appearances with the club. He had two assists and led the team with 73 tackles, a total that ranked 19th in Major League Soccer.

“We are thrilled to be able to keep a foundational piece of our midfield. He joined us in 2019 and quickly established himself as a key contributor to everything we are trying to do.” — RSL general manager Elliot Fall

As a result, Luiz was voted by his teammates as Real Salt Lake’s Most Valuable Player.

“With such a young team, Everton added a veteran presence and his work ethic and ability to break up plays while showing some flare was important to our success,” RSL head coach Freddy Juarez said. “He adds to our toughness on the field and his professionalism in the locker room helps set the tone for what we want to do as a club.”

Luiz began his professional career in his native Brazil, with stints with Ponte Preta, Palmeiras and CRB. His early career included several loans as well, including a stint with Mexico’s San Luis, before he joined FC Lugano in Switzerland in 2013.

Luiz played one season with Lugano before moving to St. Gallen, Switzerland, playing two more seasons in the Swiss Super League. His next stop came in Serbia, where he won the Serbian Cup twice and earned Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season honors for his efforts in winning the Serbian SuperLiga in 2016-17.

That precipitated his move to S.P.A.L. in Italy, where he helped the club avoid relegation in the 2017-18 season.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/33OvC0C