Sporting Kansas City adds French midfielder Rémi Walter

Sporting Kansas City revealed their first transfer of the 2020 offseason on Tuesday, announcing the signing of 25-year-old French midfielder Rémi Walter.

Walter joins Sporting KC as a central midfielder who can also play defensive midfielder. He has spent the majority of his career in France’s Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, first for Nancy starting in 2013, and then for Nice starting in 2016. While at Nice, he was loaned out to Nice II and Troyes. He made seven appearances for Nice in the UEFA Europa League.

“Remi Walter is an experienced midfielder who will add quality to our team,” said Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes in a press release. “We are happy to welcome him to Kansas City and look forward to his quick adaptation within our club.”

Most recently, Walter spent half a season with Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor, featuring in nine matches between March and July before leaving the team over the summer. He also has some youth international experience, featuring in 11 matches with the France U-21 team in 2015-16.

Walter signed a three-year contract with Sporting KC, keeping him in Kansas City through 2023 with a team held option for 2024.

Where does he fit in?

Given his age and position, he can be seen as a potential replacement for Roger Espinoza or Ille Sanchez, and should at least provide depth in the midfield in 2021. He is primarily a No. 8 who can also slot in as a No. 6. He is-left footed.

He is not very involved in the attack, amassing only eight goals and five assists in 173 total appearances, but also rarely gets into trouble with only seven yellow cards in seven years of league play.