AS Saint-Étienne have officially announced the signing of Georgian international Zuriko Davitashvili (23) from FC Girondins de Bordeaux on a four-year contract with an option for an additional year, for an undisclosed fee that is suspected to be around €6 million including bonuses.
Davitashvili becomes the latest signing for ASSE joining former Stade de Reims centre-back Yunis Abdelhamid (36) and Ben Old (21) as the freshly promoted club look to build a squad prepared to remain in the top flight after spending the past two seasons in the second division.
This summer Davitashvili became one of the many players representing Georgia that impressed during the nation’s run to the Round of 16 in their first-ever international tournament, where they were eliminated by eventual finalists Spain.
After two seasons in Ligue 2, Davitashvili revealed that he was ready for the step up to Ligue 1. “It’s a pleasure to join this historic club! I’m very happy to be here and I can’t wait to play at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in front of its incredible supporters. Ligue 1 is a difficult championship that I’m going to be discovering. It’s a great challenge for me.”
A sentiment that was fully supported by his new manager Olivier Dall’Oglio, who stated, “Zuriko will bring us a technical touch, but also his experience, especially international, despite his young age. He is a player capable of being a very good passer, but also a finisher. He has this ability to project himself forward, a real interesting quality of play which will also allow us to keep the ball when necessary.”
