The South American ranks at Sunderland have been swelled further this summer with Steve Bruce’s acquisition of Paraguay midfielder Cristian Riveros. The 27 year-old arrives at the Stadium of Light on a three year Bosman deal, moving from Mexican Primera Division side CDSC Cruz Azul.
Initially interested in snapping up Riveros during his spell as Birmingham boss, Bruce, deterred by the £10m price tag placed on the player’s head, bide his time and his patience came to fruition in May, capturing him for free as his contract ran out. Riveros will join compatriot Paulo da Silva at the Wearside club and brings a much-needed creativity to the Sunderland engine room…
The Statistics
Riveros starred for a few different clubs over the space of seven seasons in his native country, managing 170 appearances, returning 23 goals and picking up two Paraguyan championships during his time there.
In 2007 he then moved to Mexico, where, over the period of three season, his dynamic style of play ensured Riveros became a big fan favourite at Cruz Azul, scoring 17 times in 111 games. His goal average is more impressive for his national side, with 9 goals in 52 games.
The Prospects
Opinion…
Mark
“The head says ignore Sunderland’s midfield which has previously been a wasteland when it comes to Fantasy returns. The heart says follow the head.
Even so Riveros is a classic Fantasy gamble which could pay dividends. Decent in the tackle and a tidy passer of the ball, he’s shown an eye for goal in international football and could settle to become a key figure in Steve Bruce’s outfit.
He’ll surely need time to settle with the pace of things though – that should give us time to assess his wares and Sunderland’s prospects.”
Riveros has spent the majority of his career as a defensive midfielder and, given the recent loss of skipper Lorik Cana at the heart of the Sunderland midfield to Galatasaray, it would seem that the Black Cats have a ready-made replacement to slot in next to Lee Cattermole.
Steve Bruce, however, looks determined to hand him a completely different type of role at Sunderland, declaring on completion of the transfer:
“He is a very creative midfielder and a player that will enhance our attacking options from wide positions for next season.”
Sunderland’s wide men were particularly poor in front of goal in the league last term; Kieron Richardson managed 1 goal in 29 games, and Steed Malbranque didn’t score at all in 31 games. The club’s only real creative presence, the injury-prone Andy Reid, failed to appear in any league games since the beginning of February and Riveros will surely be a vital piece in the jigsaw if Sunderland are to move forward next season. The signing of Ahmed Al Muhammadi down the right flank (he can operate at both right-back and as a right winger) is yet another signal of intent from Bruce.
Mainly right-footed, Riveros is favourite to play left-wing, though Bruce will now need to get the chequebook back out to reinforce that central midfield if the Paraguayan is, indeed, to figure out wide. One thing’s for sure: with the deadly finishing of Darren Bent ahead of him, Riveros could be expected to grab a decent haul of assists as well notching a handful of goals.
Fantasy Premier League (FPL) have priced him fairly low at £5.5m, though despite his undoubted talents, many Fantasy managers -mindful of the slow start made by da Silva to his Sunderland career last season- will understandably hold back on taking a punt until Riveros finds his feet in the side’s starting XI.