As has been rumored since Ángel's injury last week, Villarreal CF has reached an agreement with Italian side AS Roma for the loan of Brazilian defender Cícero João de Cezare, better known as "Cicinho", subject to a medical exam and formal documentation signing tomorrow. The player will be on loan to the Yellow Submarine for six months, with an option to purchase. Reports in the Italian media suggest that Roma is picking up a small portion of Cicinho's salary, though that has not been confirmed.
Cicinho is 30 years old and is familiar with the Spanish game, as he played for Real Madrid from 2005-07 before moving to Rome. He's fallen out of favor there as the manager Rainieri has gone for a larger, more physical backline; last year he was loaned to Sao Paolo and this year has seen little action for the Italians.
This seems like a fairly low-risk move. Cicinho offers more experience than our young defenders such as Mario and Joan Oriol, and with Ángel being out for the remainder of the season, it makes sense to add a veteran to help out. And if he impresses, we have an opportunity to acquire him permanently. For Cicinho, who plans to begin training with the team tomorrow, it's a chance to get some first-team playing time and get his career back on an upward track. We wish him success in the yellow shirt. Endavant!