Bangor City have made five new signings despite the club currently being placed under a transfer embargo.
Last week the beleaguered club were banned from signing players until December 31, 2019 by the Football Association of Wales, while they were also recently hit with a 42-point deduction after an investigation found they had breached multiple rules.
The huge points deduction means the Citizens look set to be relegated from the Cymru Alliance - Wales’ second tier – although they have the right to appeal.
But despite the restrictions being placed on the Nantporth outfit, Bangor City have moved to bolster their squad with five new additions, albeit all are subject to approval from the FAW.
Defender Davide Salvatore became the latest player to pen a deal on Tuesday morning, following former Boca Juniors player Francesco Serafino, David Thompson, Pavel Vieira and Massimo Sammartino.
Italian Salvatore, 22, joins from Jonica Siderno FC in his homeland and can play as a right-back or as a holding midfield player.
“Davide is a tenacious player who has been over with us twice for a trial, once at the back end of last season where he impressed just before I arrived,” Max Leghissa, the Citizens’ new director of football, told the club’s website.
“Last week, he was here again and caught the eye. He has an excellent attitude to working hard but, like the other foreign signings so far, he will need pre-season to come and get as fit as possible and then to adapt to Welsh football.”
Former AS Roma youth player Sammartino became Bangor’s first summer signing, having agreed terms to join from Mosta FC in Malta.
The 23-year-old Italian is a left-back, though he can play left midfield, and has previously played at AS Roma both at senior and youth level.
“Massimo is a very strong, extremely fit player and can play left back, right back and central midfield,” said club chairman Stephen Vaughan Jr.
“He grew up through the Roma academy so has great grounding from that and was Mr Reliable during my time at Mosta.
“I look forward to working with Massimo again and it’s great to have him on board.”
Sammartino was quickly followed through the door by Vieira who had previously played at Airbus Broughton UK, and Thompson.
Vieira, 27, is a full Guinea-Bissau international with one cap in a World Cup qualifying game, while Thompson returns to playing after taking a year out and has previously played at Bala Town, Rhyl and Marine.
And the club were also busy to secure the services of former Boca Juniors man Serafino, the 21-year-old joining from Rimini in Italy.
“Francesco is a very exciting player and one who now needs to be playing regular first-team football,” added Vaughan. “He will have to adapt quickly to the Welsh league and I look forward to seeing him develop.”
Serafino was over at the club on a week-long trial recently and really caught the eye, having also previously played at Naxxar Lions in the Maltese First Division.
Bangor fans have grown increasingly angry at the club’s off-field issues and recently voted to form a breakaway outfit.
The decision was made at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the Bangor City Football Club Supporters Association on April 10 and comes following a torrid time which last season saw the former Welsh Premier League champions demoted from the top tier of the Welsh domestic pyramid despite the Citizens sitting in third place in the league at the time, after failing to obtain their domestic licence.
Off the field the club, which plays its games at Nantporth, has suffered months of serious problems, such as bills going unpaid, players not being paid wages and the resignation of club auditors.
A statement by the association said it had agreed to incorporate as a Community Benefit Society (or Supporters’ Trust) and set up a new club, not in opposition to Bangor City FC “but as insurance against what we consider to be the real threat to top level football being played in the city.”
