Spain Under-21 international completes permanent move
- Huddersfield Town signs Pipa from Spanish side Espanyol
- Right back completes permanent move for an undisclosed fee
- Comments from Leigh Bromby and Carlos Corberán
Huddersfield Town has completed the permanent transfer of Spanish defender Pipa from Spanish club RCD Espanyol de Barcelona!
The 22-year-old right back, whose full name is Gonzalo Ávila Gordón, passed his Town medical in his native Spain on Friday and has now joined Head Coach Carlos Corberán’s squad for an undisclosed fee.
Pipa progressed through the ranks at Espanyol to make 13 appearances across La Liga, cup and European competition last season, supplementing his previous senior experience gained through a loan at Gimnàstic.
He arrives at Town having earned his second Spanish Under-21 cap during Thursday’s UEFA European Championship qualifying win over North Macedonia.
An attack-minded full back who can also operate on the wing, he will wear the number two shirt and has put pen-to-paper on contract running until June 2023, with the option of a further year in the Club’s favour.
Huddersfield Town’s Head of Football Operations Leigh Bromby commented:
“Pipa is a perfect example of the characteristics this Club is looking for in a new signing.
“He was identified very early in this window as a target through our recruitment process and he’s a player that Carlos was very excited about when he was brought to him as an option.
“He’s playing internationally for a top footballing nation and he’s played in an elite European league for his club. We’ve also spent a lot of time on our due diligence and the references on his character and the standard of his training were glowing.
“At 22, he is someone we have identified as having real potential to keep improving. Pipa has been signed to play for this club over the long term, not just the short.”
Head Coach Carlos Corberán added:
“I have been very interested in Pipa since the Club first proposed him to me.
“He’s energetic and has very good skills to produce for our team, particularly in our build-up in the final part of the pitch. He offers great versatility too, as he can play at left back and on the right wing as well as his primary position of right back.
“We are very happy to begin working with him. We will help him to adapt to the demands of English football as soon as possible.”
You can welcome Pipa to Huddersfield on Instagram – he’s gnzavila
If you are interested in sponsoring Pipa for the 2020/21 season, please contact jon.macdonald@htafc.com for more information!
