Trinidad and Tobago defender Sheldon Bateau has signed a three-year deal with Belgium top flight club KV Mechelen and will return to the club which he first joined in Europe in 2012.
Bateau missed the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup due to club commitments with current Norwegian club Sarpsborg 08 and is relieved to have secured the new deal with his former employees.
“I have one game left so I am still focused on that at the moment along with the birth of my son and the transfer, I haven’t had enough time to really take it all in but I’m happy to be back in one of the top leagues in Europe and more importantly I’m delighted to be back home in Mechelen,” Bateau told TTFA Media on Thursday.
“It was my first club in Europe and they’ve made a lot of improvements since I left including the upgrading of the stadium. I’m really looking forward to rejoining the club and playing in the Belgian league again.”
“At 28 I needed stability and I’ve found that which is really pleasing at this stage of my career.”
The former San Juan Jabloteh player also had interest from clubs in Poland, Belgium, Cyprus, Israel and Greece. “I felt like Mechelen was the best move at this time,” Bateau concluded.