Gustavo Bou is officially a New England Revolution player.
After a week of speculation punctuated by international media throwing out estimated transfer fee figures and Bou live-streaming a Rolling Stones concert at Gillette Stadium Saturday night, the Revolution finally announced their newest acquisition in a press release Wednesday.
Bou will be added to the roster as a Designated Player. The Revolution paid his former club, Tijuana, at least $6 million, reporter Ives Galarcep tweeted.
Salary figures have not yet been made public, though a source said Bou signed a four-year contract. Given the contract length, Bou will likely be the biggest investment the Revolution have made in a single player.
“Gustavo is a versatile, creative forward with a proven history of success who will bring a high level of experience and leadership to the roster,” Revs coach Bruce Arena said in a statement. “We have followed him for a number of years and have confidence he will be an integral part of our success this year and moving forward. We look forward to welcoming him to New England.”
This is Arena’s first acquisition since being named the Revolution’s sporting director/head coach in May. That his first transfer is for a DP seems significant, particularly since he has not shied away from saying the Kraft family, which owns the Revolution, had pledged he would be given ample resources to improve the team.
Robert Kraft, the club’s investor, owner, and operator, posed next to Bou and Arena for a photo that the club posted to its official Twitter account.
Bou, 29, has competed in Argentina, Mexico, and Ecuador. He has scored 85 goals and added 35 assists in 270 games. He is expected to be deployed as a traditional No. 9.