WARRIORS defender Teenage Hadebe has completed his big money move to the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the US after agreeing on a US$1.65m deal with Dynamo Houston from Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor.
Hadebe signed a three-year deal with the Texas-based club which is expected to make him one of the club’s highest earners after being signed as a designated player due to the hefty transfer fee the club paid for his services.
The Zimbabwe international’s move was announced by the club’s new majority owner, Ted Segal at a Press Conference on Tuesday evening.
“Yes, he is coming. He has not yet arrived in the US, but he will in 5-7 days’ time due to visa processing,” Segal said when journalists asked about Hadebe at his official unveiling as Houston Dynamo’s new owner.
Segal revealed the stiff competition he faced for the centre-back’s signature left him with no choice but to sign him as a designated player (a rule that allows MLS franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap).
“He was not originally going to be a designated player, but his strong finish to the season [in Turkey] brought other teams into the fold so we had to pay more,” the club owner said.
Hadebe leaves Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor after spending two years with the Super League team.
His contract in Turkey was supposed to run until June next year but the clubs agreed on the transfer, which will see Hadebe arriving at Dynamo Houston as their third most expensive player in history.
He had joined Yeni Malatyaspor in July 2019 from South African giants Kaizer Chiefs.
During his stint in Turkey, he became a key member of the team, in the last two seasons, and has helped Malatyaspor maintain their Super League status.
Hadebe made 53 league appearances, in two years for the club, and has also played a number of domestic Cup games and in the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.
In total, he featured in 60 games and had two goals and two assists, despite playing as a central defender.
