Portland Timbers acquire Brian Fernández in club record signing

Portland Timbers completed the signing of Brian Fernández from Mexican club Necaxa to get the Designated Player they were looking for, the club announced.

Fernández arrives at the Timbers for a reported $10-12 million transfer fee, which is a club record, previously set at almost 5 million dollars, the amount they paid for Lucas Melano back in 2017.

Timbers General Manager, Gavin Wilkinson spoke about signing the Argentine. "We are delighted to sign a player of Brian Fernandez' caliber, at a stage in his career where we feel he is already a proven player yet still has his best years in front of him and room to grow as a player. He is a quality player and will add a different look to our team, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Portland."

It is believed the 24-year-old attacker will not have to comply with the two remaining games of his three-game suspension in the Liga MX, although the MLS will make the final decision.

Portland Timbers have a 3-5-1 record and are in ninth place in the Western Conference.

Brian Fernández

The attacker has featured at right wing lately, though he has been found in all positions across the front line. Fernández has 18 goals and five assists in 32 appearances since joining Necaxa in 2018, with 12 goals in 15 games during the current tournament.

The player's flexibility gives Timbers the option to play him through the center or on the right wing for their 4-2-3-1 formation alongside Diego Valeri, Sebastian Blanco, and Jeremy Ebobisse.

Head coach, Giovanni Savarese said, " We are very pleased to welcome Brian Fernández to our team, he's a player who possesses many different attacking qualities, his versatility and ability to play in different positions and systems gives us further tactical flexibility and options."