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Emiliano Sala, who became Cardiff's record signing over the weekend,
pictured with club CEO Ken Choo
Sala has 12 goals in 19 Ligue 1 appearances for Nantes this season
Cardiff slipped into the Premier League's relegation zone on Saturday after a 3-0 loss at Newcastle United and Sala was due to make his debut against Arsenal on January 29.
Ken Choo, Cardiff's chief executive, said the bid to land Sala's signature had not been easy, but added when he arrived: "We see Emiliano as a significant acquisition and welcome him wholeheartedly to the capital city of Wales."
Having signed for the club and had a tour around Cardiff, he was understood to have returned to Nantes to say his goodbyes to teammates on Monday.
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Emiliano Sala, who became Cardiff's record signing over the weekend,
pictured with club CEO Ken Choo
Emiliano
Sala was by some way Neil Warnock's most prized signing of the season.
For months, Cardiff City had been searching for a free-scoring striker
to resolve the club's desperate lack of threat in front of goal.
The Argentinian signed a three-and-a-half-year deal over the weekend
after the Premier League strugglers paid Ligue 1 Nantes a
record-breaking fee of around £15 million.
"I'm very happy to be here," he said after arriving in Wales on
Friday. "It gives me great pleasure and I can't wait to start training,
meet my new team-mates and get down to work.
For me it feels special [to
be Cardiff's record signing]. I have come here wanting to work and to
help my team-mates and the club. I can't wait to get to work straight
away and do everything I can."
Cardiff, who also brought in Oumar Niasse on loan from Everton this
week, had identified Sala in the autumn, and started bidding for him at
the start of January.
Until last week, Warnock had feared the deal had
fallen through, after Nantes rejected at least one offer.
The 28-year-old arrived at the Premier League with a record of 12
Ligue 1 goals in 19 games, making him one of the French league's most
sought-after assets.
He was born in the Province of Santa Fe in
Argentina, but spent the vast majority of his playing career in France.
He
struggled to break through at Bordeaux and was shipped out on loan on
three occasions. He spent time at Orleans, Niort and Caen.
The striker then moved to Nantes in the summer of 2015 for a fee of just €1m. Having settled into the club, however, Sala then hit the form of his life.
Warnock was desperate to bring him to the club because of his potential aerial threat, standing at 6ft 3in. He has also earned admirers for his hold up play.
Sala enjoys getting the ball down and running in behind, and possesses reasonable pace to be able to do so.
The striker then moved to Nantes in the summer of 2015 for a fee of just €1m. Having settled into the club, however, Sala then hit the form of his life.
Warnock was desperate to bring him to the club because of his potential aerial threat, standing at 6ft 3in. He has also earned admirers for his hold up play.
Sala enjoys getting the ball down and running in behind, and possesses reasonable pace to be able to do so.
Sala has 12 goals in 19 Ligue 1 appearances for Nantes this season
Sala had
18 months left on his deal at Nantes before joining Cardiff and the
Welsh club were made to work for his signature. Negotiations took nearly
three weeks for the deal to be completed after Sala was offered a
contract from a Chinese Super League club just two days before he put
pen to paper on his deal with Cardiff.
Cardiff slipped into the Premier League's relegation zone on Saturday after a 3-0 loss at Newcastle United and Sala was due to make his debut against Arsenal on January 29.
Ken Choo, Cardiff's chief executive, said the bid to land Sala's signature had not been easy, but added when he arrived: "We see Emiliano as a significant acquisition and welcome him wholeheartedly to the capital city of Wales."
Having signed for the club and had a tour around Cardiff, he was understood to have returned to Nantes to say his goodbyes to teammates on Monday.
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