Columbus Crew sign Portuguese winger Pedro Santos for over $2 million

Gregg Berhalter was in Portugal last November watching an SC Braga game when he found himself drawn to the club's right winger, Pedro Santos.

The Crew SC coach and sporting director inquired about Santos' transfer fee and perhaps wished he hadn't.

"It was outrageous, over $5 million," Berhalter said. "It was something where you put him in the back pocket and say, 'OK, we'll forget about this guy for now and keep monitoring him.' That's what we did."

Nine months later, the Crew on Tuesday made official the signing of the 29-year-old Portuguese winger as a designated player. Santos joins defender Jonathan Mensah and midfielder Federico Higuain as one of three designated players on the Columbus roster.

Several reports out of Portugal indicated the Crew paid Braga a transfer fee north of $2 million, a significant discount on the original asking price for Santos' services. Per club and league policy, Crew SC did not list the specific total but indicated it did pay the largest transfer fee in club history to acquire Santos. He is one of five players transferred by Braga this summer.

A high price point wasn't as much of a worry this time around, as Berhalter said he was given the go-ahead by investor-operator Anthony Precourt to make a big secondary transfer window signing early in the process.

"He's been fantastic in pushing us to sign a high-level player," Berhalter said of Precourt. "When you have that green light, it makes shopping for the right player so much easier."

What the Crew gets in return, Berhalter said, is a technical player with the ability to shoot, serve in set pieces, provide final passes and do some scoring himself.

"When you talk about being a dangerous team, being a dynamic team, he fits the profile perfectly," Berhalter said.

The 5-foot-8 Santos started his career with Braga in 2013 and went on brief loan stints with FC Astra Giurgiu in Romania in 2013 and Rio Ave in Portugal in 2014 before returning to play full-time for Braga, where he has made more than 100 appearances across all competitions.

Santos missed more than a month of the 2016-17 season with a fractured foot, but managed to score nine goals and add seven assists in 38 matches. His final appearance for SC Braga came in a Europa League qualifier against Swedish club AIK last week.

Berhalter said Crew SC "began the immigration process" for Santos on Monday and hopes to have it wrapped up "as soon as possible," but it is unclear how soon Santos will be available to play. Columbus hosts Chicago on Saturday.

The designated player's arrival comes at a time when Crew SC, which has 10 games remaining and has lost two of its past three, needs him the most. The Crew has had little offensive production from the right side this season, and the club's hope is that Santos can contribute in a hurry.

"I think it shows the rest of the squad that we're committed to winning," Berhalter said of the signing. "We're not happy with the position we're in. We want to start winning games and getting in a good position to be successful in the playoffs."

Wednesday night marks the close of the secondary transfer window. It's unclear whether Crew SC will make another move before then.

"I could potentially see something else happening, but I'm not promising anything," Berhalter said. "Again, we would look to add a piece that made us better and we'll have to be sure of it."