CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte FC closed the MLS transfer window by signing midfielder Pep Biel on loan from Olympiacos of Super League Greece.
The Biel signing was one of two deals Charlotte made to acquire international players during the transfer window, which ran from July 18 to Aug. 14. Charlotte signed U.S. national team defender Tim Ream from Fulham FC of the English Premier League on Aug. 7.
These two moves will strengthen the Charlotte squad as the team sits in a playoff position with nine matches left in the regular season.
"Any club's aim should be... to come out of the window looking better... and I think we've done that," Dean Smith, Charlotte FC's head coach said in a media conference on Thursday. "[I'm] pleased with the business we've done and disappointed on some of the ones we've missed out on but that's the way the business goes."
Smith noted that the summer transfer window's closing date impacts MLS teams negatively because other leagues have longer transfer periods. The Premier League, La Liga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany), and all other European leagues have transfer windows that last until Aug. 30.
"In Europe, their window is open till the [30th] of August, and ours is now closed," Smith said. "That market for us, unfortunately, is very small."
Biel's signing comes after a whirlwind few days where rumors and even team confirmations stated that other players were headed to Charlotte.
Charlotte FC sources told WCNC Charlotte on Sunday that the team was signing Calvin Stengs, a defender on the Dutch international squad, and Eredivise (Netherlands) side Feyenoord. However, that deal dissolved two days later when Stengs announced his intention to stay with Feyenoord.
Charlotte was next rumored to pursue Miguel Almiron from Newcastle United of the Premier League. This deal never came through.
Biel was rumored to have a deal set with Real Zaragoza, a team that competes in the second tier of the Spanish football system. But Charlotte swept Biel up just before the MLS transfer window deadline.
"He's one who's been on our list for a long time, and the club scouted him before I was here," Smith said about Biel. "I know of him from Copenhagen."
Charlotte-related transactions during the transfer window were not all positive, though. Midfielder Scott Arfield joined English League One side Bolton in July and forward Enzo Copetti joined Club Atlético Rosario of the Argentine Primer División before the window opened.
Charlotte FC returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 24 at home against the NY Red Bulls. Charlotte is sixth in the Eastern Conference, 10 points above the playoff cutline and seven points above the play-in-game spots.