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Former Italy international midfielder Alessandro Diamanti has been confirmed as the latest acquisition for A-League newcomers Western United.
A-League newcomers Western United have added more international flair to their inaugural squad with the signing of Italian playmaker Alessandro Diamanti.
The club says 36-year-old Diamanti will join his new teammates for pre-season training on Thursday, having arrived in the country on Tuesday.
Diamanti is the 20th player contracted to the competition's newest club as coach Mark Rudan pieces together a competitive squad.
He is no stranger to A-League fans.
In 2014, he played for Guangzhou Evergrande in the Asian Champions League against Melbourne Victory in the group stage and against Western Sydney Wanderers in the quarter-finals.
His performances prompted an approach from Victory to sign him as a guest marquee in 2016 but FFA rejected their overtures.
Capped 17 times for his country, Diamanti joins Greek marquee Panagiotis Kone as Western United's most high-profile imports and will add creativity in the final third, including his dead-ball abilities.
Making his professional debut in Italy's lower leagues as a 16-year-old in 1999, Diamanti first shot to prominence at Livorno and earned himself a transfer to Premier League side West Ham United in 2009.
He has also played for Fiorentina, Atalanta, Palermo, Brescia and Bologna in Italy and had a brief loan stint with Watford in 2015.
Diamanti played for Italy at the 2012 European Championships and the 2013 Confederations Cup, at which he scored his lone international goal.
