After a full month of waiting, tangled up in paperwork and administrative procedures, Barça Atlètic finally breathed a sigh of relief. Their long-awaited signing had arrived at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
The Catalan club confirmed on Wednesday the signing of José Caicedo, the 18-year-old Ecuadorian left-back, who put pen to paper and got straight to work under coach Juliano Belletti.
Caicedo had touched down in Barcelona last Monday and wasted no time, taking part in his first training session on Tuesday. He then officially signed on Wednesday morning at the offices of the sports city, alongside youth football director José Ramón Alexanko, before pulling on the Blaugrana shirt for the first time.
The deal had been announced back on 13 July, yet administrative procedures kept the player stuck in Ecuador and stopped him joining the team on the scheduled date of 20 July.
Caicedo arrives at the reserve team on loan from Ecuadorian side LDU Quito. The move carries a buy option of 2.5 million euros that could turn mandatory once certain conditions are met.
Barcelona are pinning big hopes on the young full-back. A modern-day defender, he brings physical strength, blistering pace and a clear attacking streak, and he counts Alejandro Balde as his role model and idol.
Within days, Caicedo could see his first minutes in a Barcelona shirt. Barça Atlètic face L'Hospitalet in a friendly on Saturday evening at the Feixa Llarga stadium, and Belletti may well decide the youngster is ready to feature.