Ufuk Talay has made his first import signing at Wellington Phoenix with the addition of Mexican attacker Ulises Davila.
Davila, who was once signed to a five-year deal by Premier League club Chelsea, has committed to Phoenix for the next two Hyundai A-League seasons and will occupy one of the four remaining import slots for the club, joining existing signing Steven Taylor.
He is seen as the ideal replacement for young playmaker Sarpreet Singh, who completed a dream move to German giants Bayern Munich on Monday.
"I’m looking forward to the challenge of the Hyundai A-League and believe I can really show my qualities this year," Davila told the club's website.
"I want to thank Ufuk for having faith in me and bringing me to Wellington and I can’t wait to get started and show the fans I am here to play for the club and win games."
The 28-year-old’s most recent stint was with Indian Super League outfit Delhi Dynamos, where he linked up with former Adelaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers boss Josep Gombau.
A precocious talent, Davila signed with Chelsea back in 2011 but never featured for the Blues and was sent out on loan to Vitesse, Sabadell, Cordoba, Tenerife and Vitoria Setubal.
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The Mexican youth international then returned to his homeland and played two seasons with Santos Laguna, scoring three goals in 38 appearances for the club.
"Ulises is a versatile attacker who will excite the fans with his creative qualities which will complement our game," Talay said.
"It’s important to get the correct import players into the club and we feel we are getting a great player in Ulises, a player who could be one of the stand out players in the league this season."
