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Gary Medel joins Cardiff City for club-record fee

By on August 10, 2013

20130810-214549.jpgGary Medel has joined Cardiff City from Sevilla for a club-record fee thought to be around £11 million only a day after the newly promoted Premier League club lost the race to sign French midfielder Etienne Capoue to Tottenham Hotspur. Medel will join manager Malky Mackay’s side on a four-year contract, subject to a medical, as The Bluebirds’ break their transfer record for the third time this summer.

Cardiff had paid FC Copenhagen £7.5 million for Andreas Cornelius and coughed up £8m for Tottenham’s Steven Caulker to strengthen their defense and front line, and the Welsh club announced they had once again broken their transfer record with the signing of Medel.

“We’re delighted to have secured the services of Gary – a tenacious and intelligent international midfielder,” Mackay told Cardiff’s website.

“Having had two seasons of regular football in La Liga – with 60-odd international caps to his name and three appearances at a World Cup – his experience will be an invaluable asset to our squad.

“He’s played in a number of Boca v River Plate derbies in Argentina, one of the world’s biggest derby matches, and I’ve no doubt that his background and pedigree will complement our midfield group in the Premier League.”

Medel began his career at Universidad Católica before moving to Argentine club Boca Juniors in 2009. The Chilean international developed his reputation as a tough-tackling rough defensive midfielder at Boca with his similarities to Italian star Gennaro Gattuso earning him the nickname “The Chilean Gattuso” as well as “Pitbull.” The 26-year-old joined Sevilla in 2011 and although being sent off an astounding seven times in 90 appearances for the Spanish side produced some fabulous performances, including his marking of Lionel Messi during Sevilla’s 1-1 draw with Barcelona in March 2011.

Despite Medel becoming Cardiff’s third major acquisition of an important transfer window for Premier League side, the club has missed out on many targets over the past month. Mackay has already seen high-profile targets Tom Ince and Etienne Capoue both dart from his clutches after Cardiff had agreed fee’s for the midfielders with Blackpool and Toulouse. Cardiff was in desperate need of a midfielder though, and Mackay quickly pounced on Medel only a day after losing out on Capoue.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.