Portland Timbers complete club-record signing of Midtjylland’s Evander
The Portland Timbers have completed the transfer of Brazilian playmaker Evander from Danish side FC Midtjylland for a club record fee, adding the new signing as a Designated Player.
Speaking to the club’s website, the club’s head coach Giovanni Savarese said, “His experience in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League allows us to believe that he will be able to adapt quickly to the MLS competition. I am looking forward to incorporate Evander and start working with him to build a stronger team for the next season.”
It is a massive coup for the MLS side to entice him from Midtjylland, where he is currently the leading assist maker in the Europa League with five.
For Evander, who is just 24 and performing well in Europe, it seems a sideways step to head to Portland. His now former side Midtjylland is still in the Europa League, and faces an exciting tie with Sporting CP in their next game in the competition.
The Portland Timbers have broken their transfer record to sign Evander
After finishing second in the Danish Superliga last season, Midtjylland has had a poor start to their league campaign this year and is currently seventh – albeit only 12 points off the leaders, FC Nordsjælland.
Playing in the Champions League is the pinnacle of club football, and Evander has had the opportunity to do this for Midtjylland. However, he will not be able to do this in the near future unless he makes a move back across the Atlantic.
You would have thought that Evander performing so well for Midtjylland would have given him a better chance at moving to a top European side, but he has made his decision to join MLS and only time will tell if he has made the right decision.
Why has he joined the Timbers?
Aside from the obvious money involved with being a designated player, Portland has a side that includes a lot of South American talent, including former Argentina international Sebastián Blanco.
Although it looks like a strange move, MLS has been a stepping stone for many players to a top European club. Miguel Almirón, for example, who performed so well for Atlanta United is now one of Newcastle United’s best players.
Evander started his career with Vasco de Gama before joining Midtjylland in 2018. He has played 167 times for Ulvene in total, scoring 50 goal and adding 38 assists in a spell which has seen him win one Superliga and two Danish Cups.
He has played for Brazil at Under-17 and Under-16 level but is unlikely to get a cap for the senior side whilst playing in MLS, especially as Brazil have the likes of Neymar and Lucas Paqueta in their ranks. However, Thiago Almada of Atlanta has made it into the Argentina World Cup squad, so it is not impossible.
Portland finished eighth in the Western Conference last season, missing out on the playoffs. The pressure will be on Evander, with his form in Europe, to get his new side into the playoffs next season as a minimum.
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