Ipswich Town have announced they have terminated the contract of midfielder Luciano Civelli with immediate effect.
Hailed as the long-awaited answer to Town’s left wing problems when he was signed by Jim Magilton in January 2009, Civelli’s career at Portman Road was effectively brought to an end after just 8 appearances when he suffered a multiple knee ligament injury in March 2009. The Argentine midfielder subsequently failed to make a single appearance throughout the entire 20 month tenure of Roy Keane, who was thought to have doubts over the 24-year-old’s fitness.
Things were looking up for Civelli in January when new boss Paul Jewell handed the player his first league appearance in almost two years as a late substitute against Sheffield United. Further sub appearances would follow as well as a number of appearances during this summer’s pre-season campaign, but with the emergence of wingers Josh Carson and Lee Martin combined with the manager’s ongoing search for new talent, Civelli’s future at Portman Road looked to be in serious doubt.
The club and Civelli have now reached an agreement for the termination of the winger’s contract, which had one year left to run. Despite his injury troubles, Civelli said that he would fondly remember the support of the Town fans.
‘I will never forget the supporters at Ipswich,’ Civelli told the Official Club Website. ‘They were fantastic to me when I first arrived here and especially when I was injured.
‘I would meet fans around the town and they would always ask how I was getting on. The reaction I got when I played my first game back after the injury was very special. It was an emotional moment for me.’
The former Atletico Banfield midfielder also thanked everyone at the club and stressed that he was determined to make a success of his career elsewhere.
‘It happens in football that things don’t always work out,’ he added. ‘I’m still young though and there are hopefully a few opportunities for me back home to join a club, get my career going again and playing regular first-team football.’
Civelli now looks set to pursue his footballing career back in South America, with Paraguayan Primera Division side Libertad reported to be his destination. His departure will no doubt come as a disappointment to many Town fans having never seen the Buenos Aires-born midfielder fulfil his true potential, but with boss Jewell forming his own team, it is likely that the decision is in the best interests of both the club and the player.
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