Portland Timbers sign Brazilian attacker Evander in record transfer

After a few months of rumors and speculation, it’s official: Evander is a Portland Timbers player.

The team announced today the acquisition of 24-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder Evander da Silva Ferreira, who goes just by Evander, from Danish Superliga club Midtjylland. The reported fee for Evander’s transfer was around $10 million, which is a club-record fee for PTFC and puts it among the top ten most expensive incoming transfers in MLS history.

The club announced that Evander’s contract is through 2026 with a club option for 2027. He will occupy an international slot on the roster as well as one of Portland’s Designated Player Spots for 2023. According to reporting by Ryan Clarke of The Oregonian/OregonLive, 2022 DPs Sebastian Blanco’s and Jaroslaw Niezgoda’s salaries no longer meet the DP threshold, therefore opening up a spot for Evander.

Rumors of Evander’s signing originally started bubbling up back in late October, with reports coming a few weeks ago that the deal was all but done. Now, the Timbers have Evander’s name on the dotted line, and with it have acquired their most exciting international attacking signing since Sebastian Blanco and Diego Valeri.

A dynamic attacking midfielder, Evander racked up the goals while in Denmark. During his five-year stint with Midtjylland he tallied 50 goals and 38 assists in 167 appearances across all competitions. That includes five goals and seven assists in the prestigious UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions.

Prior to his time in Denmark, the Rio De Janeiro native made his professional debut with hometown Brazilian top-tier team Vasco da Gama in 2016 at the age of 18.

Timbers technical director Ned Grabavoy knew from the start of negotiations that Evander had the level of talent to elevate the entire Timbers squad. “It was clear from the beginning stages of this process that this was a great opportunity for both Evander and the Portland Timbers,” Grabavoy said of the signing. “He is a player with natural ability, capable of making an impact, and has already proven himself at a good standard. We see him as an integral part of the club’s future and look forward to seeing him in Green and Gold soon.”

Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese echoes those same sentiments. On the signing, he said, “We are extremely excited to welcome Evander to Portland. He has proven consistently in the Danish Superliga that he has the quality to be a game changer.”

Savarese also believes that despite his age, Evander’s experience at the upper levels of European competition will make for a quick adjustment to playing in the States, stating, “His experience in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League allows us to believe that he will be able to adapt quickly to the MLS competition. I am looking forward to incorporate Evander and start working with him to build a stronger team for the next season.”

The Brazilian comes to town after a 2022 season where the Portland attack sputtered, dooming the Timbers to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. After spending a record amount of resources to bring him aboard, in Evander the Timbers are hoping that they have found the man to jumpstart the attack once again, and carry them back to success.

You can read the team’s full press release on acquiring Evander here.