Liam Buckley believes he will get the best out of Walter Figueira after a stop-start season with Derry City.
A former Chelsea youth, he joined Sligo Rovers today having tracked by the Bit O’Red boss for some time.
Figueira, 25, played with Waterford before joining the Candystripes in 2020 and Buckley said: “Walter is a player I have recognised going back to his youth days at Chelsea.
“We made our interest known a few months ago and I’m delighted he has signed. His spells in Waterford and Derry have shown what a good technical player he is.
“Looking at his ability, I feel Walter can make an even greater impact and we’ve brought him here to do that.
“Being in a better team overall will bring more out of Walter and he will enjoy playing with the group we have here.”
Buckley added: “He can play anywhere across the front four, that versatility is fantastic for us.
“We’ve got Romeo Parkes, Ryan De Vries, Jordan Gibson, Johnny Kenny, young Cillian Heaney and now Walter - fantastic options.
“We won’t have a massive squad but we’ll have quality throughout the group with every player driving each other on. We’re very keen to start pre-season next week.”
Londoner Figueira said of his move: “I’m really looking forward to playing some exciting football here.
“I found it very frustrating last year. The stop-start season and Covid-19 in Derry led to lots of isolating and that affected our fitness.
“It was difficult to get a good run of games. Hopefully I can find the consistency and showcase my ability.”
