Denis Bouanga joins LAFC as its long-awaited third designated player

LOS ANGELES — On Friday, LAFC officially announced the signing of 27-year-old forward Denis Bouanga to a designated player contract, pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

The Black & Gold reportedly paid an estimated $5 million transfer fee to French club AS Saint-Etienne, recently relegated to Ligue 2, France's second division. Bouanga spent the last three seasons in France's top flight with the club, making a total of 96 appearances and recording 26 goals and 13 assists. 

"Denis is a proven attacker in the prime of his career and is an excellent complement to our group," said LAFC CO-President and General Manager John Thorrington. "He is a player in high demand, and we are grateful he and his family have chosen to continue his career in L.A. in order to help us achieve our ultimate goal of winning trophies."

Earlier this week, LAFC offloaded two attacking players in Danny Musovski and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi to Real Salt Lake and New England Revolution, respectively, to pave the way for Bouanga's arrival.With the addition of the Gabon international, LAFC capped off one of the most memorable MLS summer transfer windows for any club, with Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, and Ecuador international Sebastian Mendez all joining the Black & Gold.

LAFC's attack now consists of six starting-caliber players in Vela, Rodriguez, Arango, Opoku, Gareth Bale, and Bouanga. LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo has managed to keep everyone engaged and motivated up until this point of the season. But, with Rodriguez recently coming back from injury, Bale getting close to full fitness, Opoku continuously getting better, and Bouanga joining as a DP, that all certainly sparks a conversation of how Cherundolo will choose his attacking front. 

More importantly, it's a matter of how this group will gel together with only 12 games remaining in the season.

Bouanga was approached by several European clubs during this courtship period, including Rangers, Anderlecht, and Club Brugge, but he opted to join the Black & Gold during the prime of his career. 

"We are excited about the arrival of Denis Bouanga," acknowledged Cherundolo. "He's a player of high quality and experience in the prime of his career. He's somebody that will add to the verticality of our game but also knows how to play football. He's another player that can play in all three positions and adds to our ability to be fluid up top."

Regardless of who is on the field, Cherundolo spoke about the positive effects that Bouanga's arrival will have on the team.

"It makes us difficult to scout and difficult to prepare for," explained Cherundolo. "It also gives the players up top opportunities to pop up in different areas for moments of surprise. It's another piece to this puzzle, certainly the last piece this season, and we are excited about the prospect."