Inter Miami adds pair of veterans to lend experience to the defense
Inter Miami continued to strengthen its defense on Tuesday with the signings of three-time FA Cup champion left back Kieran Gibbs and MLS Cup champion right back Kelvin Leerdam.
Gibbs, the former Arsenal player, will be eligible to play for Miami starting on July 1, upon the end of his contract with West Bromwich Albion of the English Premier League. He will occupy an international roster slot, pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa.
“Kieran is an exciting player. His technique, experience and work rate will be valuable on the left flank,” said Chris Henderson, Inter Miami chief soccer officer and sporting director. “He has had a standout career at the highest levels so far, and we believe he can continue bringing this same level of quality to Inter Miami and MLS this summer.”
“I’m extremely excited to be starting the next chapter of my career with Inter Miami this summer. I look forward to embracing a new culture and a new challenge in South Florida. I’m really impressed by the vision of the club, and can’t wait to play in front of The Siege,
Southern Legion, and Vice City 1896,” Gibbs said. “In the meantime, my focus and commitment remains with West Brom. I will continue to give 100 percent for the club, as I have done since I signed, until the end of the season.”
Gibbs, 31, made more than 300 appearances across all competitions in 14 seasons playing in England, primarily with
Arsenal.
Miami acquired Leerdam from the Sounders in exchange for $50,000 of general allocation money in 2021 and $25,000 of general allocation money in 2022.
Leerdam is a U.S. green card holder who will not occupy an international roster spot.
He will join the team after his duty with the Suriname national team in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers this week.
“Kelvin is a dynamic, attacking fullback with a lot of winning experience in this league,” said Henderson, who knows Leerdam from his many years in Seattle. “He is a great addition to our roster and we are looking forward to integrating him to the team following his national team duties.”
Leerdam, 30, said: “It feels great to be signed by this club, a very ambitious club. I knew Chris from Seattle and had a very good relationship with him. Also, there are some very good players in Miami and you are never too old to learn.”
Leerdam spent the past four seasons with Seattle, winning one MLS Cup (2019) and three Western Conference titles (2017, 2019, 2020). He played in all three MLS Cup finals, starting in two of them.
He scored 10 goals and 12 assists over 100 games. In 2020, he started 19 of 24 games, had three goals and three assists.
Before joining MLS he spent nine seasons in the Netherlands playing for Feyenoord and SBV Vitesse, with whom he won the domestic Dutch title in 2017. He grew up in the Netherlands and played for the Dutch U19 and U21 teams.