Madrid, Aug 4 (IANS) Villarreal have signed veteran Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi from RB Leipzig, the Spanish club’s first arrival of the summer transfer window. The 36-year-old has signed a two-year contract after Villarreal reportedly paid about 1 million euros (1.2 million U.S. dollars) to Leipzig for his transfer.
Gulacsi leaves Leipzig after making 362 appearances across 11 seasons following his move from Red Bull Salzburg in 2015. He began his professional career at Liverpool but did not make a senior appearance for the Premier League club, spending time on loan at Tranmere Rovers and Hull City.
He arrives after Villarreal saw Diego Conde join Real Betis and Arnau Tenas move to Mallorca this summer. Gulacsi is expected to compete with Luiz Junior for the No. 1 spot as Villarreal returns to the UEFA Champions League after finishing third in La Liga last season.
Gulacsi has made 58 appearances for Hungary and has played more than 70 matches in UEFA club competitions, including 41 in the Champions League, bringing extensive experience to Inigo Perez’s squad, reports Xinhua.
Earlier in June, Villarreal confirmed former Rayo Vallecano coach Inigo Perez as their new first-team coach, with the 38-year-old signing a three-year contract until the end of June 2029.
Perez, who retired from playing in 2022, replaces Marcelino Garcia Toral, who left the club at the end of last season despite leading Villarreal to a third-place finish in La Liga behind FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, securing Champions League qualification for the second consecutive season.
He arrives from Rayo Vallecano after just over two seasons in charge, having taken over in February 2024 and guiding the team to safety when it was in danger of relegation.
Rayo qualified for the UEFA Conference League under Perez in the 2024/25 campaign, and he then led the club to a historic European final in the season just concluded, with Rayo suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in last week’s final in Leipzig, Germany.
Rayo Vallecano also finished the season in a highly respectable eighth place in La Liga despite operating with one of the league’s lowest budgets, further enhancing Perez’s reputation as one of Spain’s best young coaches.
–IANS
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