Maurizio Vella joins Birkirkara

Birkirkara continued to revamp their squad with the signing of German-born winger Maurizio Vella from Floriana. As part of the deal, Terence Vella and Ryan Camenzuli will be joining Floriana.

This will be the second deal between the two clubs in the January transfer window after Edward Herrera joined Floriana and Clayton Failla moved to Birkirkara last week.

Twenty-seven year old Maurizio Vella, who also holds an Italian passport, started his career at Waldhof Mannheim and after playing for TuS Mechtersheim moved to Italy where he played for ASDP Ribera, Licata, Citta di Messina, Juve Stabia, L’Aquila and Paganese before moving to Malta in summer 2016 to join Floriana. With the Greens, he won the FA Trophy and the BOV Super Cup in 2017.

A product of Gudja United, twenty-eight year old Terence Vella was loaned out to Pietà Hotspurs and Mosta in Division 1 between 2008 and 2010. The following season, he joined Birkirkara on loan, making his move a permanent one in 2011/12. However since then he spent most of the time on loan with other clubs, namely Mosta, Hamrun Spartans, Naxxar Lions, Qormi and Senglea Athletic. Vella had joined Floriana on loan in summer.

On the other hand, twenty-four year old Ryan Camenzuli is a product of Birkirkara FC but had already spent one year on loan with the Greens in 2016/17. Camenzuli, however, will only be available in July after being handed an eighteen-month ban by UEFA.

The Stripes, who will welcome back Luke Montebello after serving a one-year ban, have earlier signed Johann Bezzina Muamer Svraka and Jorge Pereira da Silva, released Uchenna Calistus Umeh, Petar Orlandic and Milan Basrak, transferred Paul Fenech to Balzan and loaned Llywelyn Cremona and Brandon Muscat to Gudja United and Zebbug Rangers respectively.

Floriana, on the other hand, have so far secured the services of Argentine duo Ezequiel Cesani and Ulises Jose Arias and Brazilian Lucas Vieira da Silva.