Victor Valdes set to join Boro

Victor Valdes looks set to become Middlesbrough’s fifth signing of the summer transfer window and is easily the biggest name to arrive at the Riverside Stadium in recent years.

The former Barcelona goalkeeper, is a multiple La Liga and Champions League winner and also enjoyed success with Spain, lifting the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship.

Having left Barcelona on a free transfer at the end of the 2014/15 season, Valdes joined Manchester United but was still struggling with a cruciate knee ligament injury, which he sustained in March 2014. Valdes worked his way back to fitness at Old Trafford but was stuck behind David De Gea, who was going from strength to strength.

Having made just two appearances for Manchester United, Valdes was allowed to leave on loan last season and joined Standard Liege, in Belgium. The Spaniard played in the Belgium Cup final, helping his team win the match 2-1 but his loan spell was cut short, as Standard Liege decided to promote youth players and give them a chance in the first team.

So, at the age of 34 and with little competitive action over the last two seasons, what is Victor Valdes going to bring to Boro?

It’s no secret Aitor Karanka has been trying to bring in a goalkeeper, to compete with Dimitrios Konstantopoulos for the number one jersey and Valdes will certainly bring great experience to the team. There are not many goalkeepers out there, who have won what Valdes has won during his career and that sort of experience can be priceless during the course of a long season. However, it’s what Valdes can bring in terms of actual playing ability, which remains questionable.

The three times Champions League winner, is not going to have lost the basis of what made him such a great goalkeeper at Barcelona. The only doubt is over his physical attributes. Can he perform for Boro, in the same way he did in 2013/14, before the injury struck? As he has only played 10 matches since March 2014, this has to be a big question mark. That being said, even if Valdes is performing at 75% of his previous best, he will still be a great addition to the Boro squad.

Available on free transfer, the club will not be splashing out and as the deal is likely to be short-term, there will be no problem in letting him go, if he fails to deliver.

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However, at the age of 34, Valdes still has some good years left in him and Boro fans will be hoping to see the best of the those at the Riverside Stadium, playing Premier League football.