SPT Land £3m Right-Back Bombshell
Ricardo Monzón’s £3.0m switch from Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense makes him SPT’s record signing and fills a gap at right-back.
SPT have spent £3.0m to land Ricardo Monzón. Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense lose their right-back, while SPT get a record signing and a direct answer to a vacancy that has been hard to fill.
The move was completed on Sunday, 9 March. Monzón arrives after making 55 appearances and scoring three goals for Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense across the 2063/64 and 2064/65 seasons. The Argentinian has played at eight clubs, with 470 club games and 12 goals across his career.
There is a clear opening for him at SPT. Paulo Magno left for Clube de Regatas Brasil on a free transfer on 11 January, after making 45 league starts over the previous two seasons. Since 1 July, SPT have used Váldson for 10 starts at right-back, with Anderson and Marcelo Matias each starting there once.
Monzón is the new man tasked with making the role his own. He brings a steady professional reputation and, when the chance is there, likes to carry the ball down the right. SPT will hope that blend of reliability and forward drive turns their club-record outlay into a steal.
The signing also gives SPT a link to a familiar face in the other dressing room. Valtércio now plays for SPT after spending eight seasons at Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, where he made 420 appearances, scored 46 goals and won nine trophies. He knows the club Monzón has just left — and now shares a side with its latest departure.
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense have been crowned Brazilian Gaúcho State Championship winners five years running, with the latest title coming in 2063. SPT, meanwhile, last won the Brazilian Pernambuco State Championship in 2063. But this deal is about the immediate business: Monzón’s move brings SPT a proven right-back, and leaves his former club without him.
For the new arrival, the first words are simple: “I’m here to work, and I’m happy to be here.” SPT have made their statement with the biggest signing in the club’s history. Now their new right-back has the chance to make the fee look like a bombshell worth every pound.