San Jose Earthquakes have put finishing touches to their squad after adding Benfica midfielder Yannick Djaló on a loan deal till the end of the season. The 27-year-old will significantly improve the quality of the team due to his experience of playing in top level football in Europe. He has been at Benfica since 2012. Last season, however, he was on loan at French outfit Toulouse. They are in the top division of French football and Djaló was an important contributor. He has also played in the Champions League, while he has won an international appearance for the Portuguese national team.

Due to their involvement in the Champions League, San Jose earthquakes’ do not play in the league until next week when they take on Real Salt Lake at home. The Champions League match will be against Toluca with the first leg at home. Earthquakes head coach Mark Watson said that the club are extremely excited to announce the signing of Djaló. He says that the player has enough pace to not only trouble the defences in front of him, but also get in behind them as well. He is also extremely versatile according to the manager.

The club’s general manager also welcomed the signing, who is expected to increase the quality of the midfield.

“We’re excited to announce the signing of Yannick. There was a lot of work and time spent scouting in the offseason, and we feel like we have a very good player in Yannick. He adds a versatile, attacking dimension to our team. He can operate as an attacking midfielder, but also has the pace to get behind defenders,” said the club manager, Mark Watson. “I’m excited to bring in a player of Yannick’s quality. His attacking flare and experience should be a welcome addition to the team,” said Earthquakes general manager.