Melbourne City have made another statement signing for their A-League title defence, adding Italian Manuel Pucciarelli to their already-stacked attack.
Pucciarelli, 30, an attacking midfielder who can also play as a second striker and inverted left winger, spent more than a decade in Italy’s Serie A, predominantly for Empoli, but also Chievo.
In his 136 Serie A appearances, Pucciarelli scored 16 goals and recorded seven assists, while he notched 10 goals and seven assists in 78 Serie B matches.
He joins Socceroos star and new recruit Mathew Leckie, golden boot winner Jamie Maclaren, explosive winger Andrew Nabbout and midfield young gun Connor Metcalfe in City’s potent attack.
“I’ve spoken to (football director) Michael (Petrillo) and Patrick (Kisnorbo) about the style of football that City plays and the quality of players in the squad,” Pucciarelli, who has signed a two-year deal, said.
“There are talented players across the whole pitch and City plays a style of attacking football that suits the way I like to play… I want to be part of a team who defends its A-League crown.”
Pucciarelli, who most recently spent time on loan at UAE club Dibba Al-Fujairah, is an ideal replacement for reliable attacker Adrian Luna, who departed over the off-season.
He is expected to join City’s squad in mid-October, after completing hotel quarantine.
“Manuel is a really talented player, he has excellent technical skills to play as a midfielder but also the sharpness to play as an attacker which makes him the ideal player for our squad,” Petrillo said.
“We took our time in making this choice… Adding a player of his calibre, on a multi-year deal, shows the club’s ambition to not only build on last season’s success, but also continue to add stability and bring in players that can play our attacking style of football.”
