MONTREAL – Now that Marco Di Vaio’s signing with the Montreal Impact has been made official, it looks like the question is: "Who’s next?"
Impact sporting director Nick De Santis left the door open for another DP signing when he faced reporters on Thursday, hours after the Di Vaio announcement.
After filling one key position of need with the Bologna striker, De Santis indicated that the club is now in discussions with different midfielders whose names were not disclosed. He did reveal, however, that Montreal were specifically looking for a playmaker capable of making that final pass the Impact have been lacking.
WATCH: De Santis speaks about Di Vaio signing
“With the window opening in Europe, we’re getting a lot of resumes from players who are out of contract, so we have to consider every option to improve this team,” De Santis told the press. “This being said, we’re happy with the team we have right now, and while we might have lost a number of points, we’ve built something important here.”
De Santis echoed the importance head coach Jesse Marsch places on finding “good fits” with the group of players already in place. As discussions progressed with Di Vaio, the Impact front office felt that a DP’s mentality and capacity to cope with pressure were just as important as his qualities on the pitch, if not more.
According to De Santis, the Impact have added a “warrior with a lot of character” in Di Vaio, and they will be looking for similar qualities in future signings.
“We wanted a DP not just for his on-field qualities,” De Santis said, “but for his personality, his motivation, his responsibilities towards what we’re building here and towards his teammates, the club and the young players.”
Di Vaio and his family, who did not visit Montreal over the course of the contract talks, will land in the Québec metropolis on Sunday. The new Impact No. 9 will then meet the press on Monday before leaving for a two-week Florida vacation.
