LA Galaxy sign goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed to the transfer of Carlo Cudicini to the LA Galaxy. He is thirty nine years old and comes with a over a decade of experience in the Premier League. The move will be made official with the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate at the opening of the January transfer window.

Cudicini made 37 appearances for Spurs between 2009 and 2012. In his decade with Chelsea he won the Premier League twice, making 216 appearances. He hasn't been the primary keeper for a club since 2003/04 when Petr Cech arrived at Chelsea. Playing behind American Brad Friedel at Tottenham for the last year and a half, his main duties were in outside tournaments - the FA Cup and Europa League.

"We are delighted to be able to add Carlo Cudicini to our roster," Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena said. "Carlo is an experienced and accomplished goalkeeper who we believe will be a great addition to our team and our defensive unit."

Transfermarket.co.uk lists Cudicini with a market value of 450,000 pounds. It's most likely that the Galaxy were able to negotiate well below that price, with the Designated Player slot still wide open. There are reports that Cudicini will make the maximum under the salary cap.

This is the first goalkeeper announcement for the Galaxy in the offseason. Josh Saunders, Brian Perk, and William Hesmer are all assumed to be negotiating. Brian Rowe is still in the mix, and certainly the Galaxy could hold here with two keepers. More likely the Galaxy will sign one of the three they are negotiating with, and then holdling open tryouts for the starting keeper position.

Still, while goalkeepers have a long lifespan, a 39 year old keeper is a far cry from the earlier rumors that the Galaxy could be trading for Chivas USA keeper Dan Kennedy. We'll see who signs next for the Galaxy, as things heat up during the transfer window.