Melbourne Victory sign defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco

Melbourne Victory have signed talented young defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco on a one-year deal.

The 21-year-old has an outstanding resume, which includes time spent playing in Italy, as well as two-and-a-half years with Tottenham Hotspur in the U21s English Premier League and, most recently, a one year stint with Swansea City.

Gallifuoco is also a part of the Olyroos squad, with fellow Victory players Connor Pain, Scott Galloway and Jason Geria.

At Swansea, Gallifuoco was an integral part of the team’s success, captaining the side as they won the 2014-15 Development League title.

A bit belated, I just want to say a huge thank you to all the players, coaches, staff and fans of Swansea City football club. 2014/15 was an incredibly successful season, taking home the U/21 BARCLAYS premier league title, being able to captain the team and improve leaps and bounds as a player. I've made so many life-long friends and will take with me some of best memories of my time at Swansea. It's come time for me now to take the next big Step in my career, becoming a first team player, representing my country and working hard to become the best possible footballer I can be. Once again, thank you all so much for such a great experience. Very excited to begin my next chapter.

A photo posted by Giancarlo Gallifuoco (@giange94) on Sep 23, 2015 at 3:23am PDT

Head coach Kevin Muscat was full of praise for the youngster: “Giancarlo adds depth to our squad in defence and will also add further competition for spots in our team, which is healthy.”

The defender was excited by the Victory’s current status as champions, a factor which helped him make the decision to move to Melbourne.

“I knew coming to Melbourne Victory I was going to be around winners and people that demand the best and they are the best people to be associated with,” Gallifuoco said.

“The club has the correct professionalism and the players have the correct attitude and they’re the people I want to be around every day.”

Melbourne Victory’s A-League campaign kicks off in 10 days, where they travel to play Adelaide United.

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