Buddies boss Danny Lennon reckons he has pulled off a real coup by bringing Esmael Goncalves to Paisley.
The striker had been lined up for a loan move to French club Nice but St Mirren nipped in to secure his services for the rest of the season.
And, as he unveiled his new signing yesterday, Lennon tipped Goncalves to be a big hit in Scottish football.
He told Express Sports: “In Portugal, football is played at a much slower pace and Esmael likes the aspect we have in Scotland, where it’s ‘you have a go, we’ll have a go’.
“He was a player who was on our radar prior to the transfer window opening and he’s got experience on young shoulders.
“Esmael has been in France, he’s been in Portugal and he’s played against top sides like Benfica, Sporting Lisbon and Porto but he found himself playing fourth-choice striker to Bebe, who Manchester United have just loaned to Rio Ave until the end of the season.
“We’re absolutely delighted that his loan to Nice fell through.”
Lennon also confirmed Goncalves is in his thoughts for this weekend’s League Cup semi-final at Hampden.
He added: “All we are waiting for is international clearance coming through and we don’t really see that as a problem.”
