Transfer puzzle solved as Grima, Pace complete loan moves

Massimo Grima and Sharlon Pace will have breathed a huge sigh of relief yesterday afternoon when all the uncertainty about their immediate future was finally cleared.

The protracted loan-transfers involving these two players and no fewer than three Premier League clubs were finalised when Grima's transfer documents were handed to high-ranking officials of Valletta by their Sliema counterparts and Pace received the go-ahead to join Pietà on loan until the end of the season.

News of the agreement between Valletta and Sliema on Grima and subsequently on Pace's switch to Pietà was confirmed by City vice-president Paul Spiteri.

Spiteri also said that Valletta have agreed to loan Jerryton Agius and Karl Bonnici to Division Two leaders Gzira till the end of the season.

Grima becomes the third Sliema player to join Valletta on a loan deal after Nenad Veselji and Jamie Pace followed the same path this month.

The first contacts between the two clubs over Grima's move were made last week. Replying to Valletta's request to engage the services of their unsettled midfielder on loan till the end of the season, Sliema proposed a player-exchange with Pace.

All was set for the two players to swap roles early this week before Pace had a change of heart and asked Valletta to loan him to Pietà, with whom he enjoyed a positive one-year spell.

Pace reached an agreement with Valletta to negotiate his move to Pietà but his U-turn prompted Sliema to seek compensation from the Citizens for Grima's services.

All parties finally came to an agreement yesterday after further discussions between the clubs and the players in the last few days.

This means that the 24-year-old Grima, who insisted on leaving Sliema Wanderers in search of first-team football, will now don the shirt of the Relegation-Pool bound Citizens while Pace is back under the guidance of Ray Farrugia, who has led Pietà to a top-six finish for the second season running. Sources said that Pace, 23, signed a four-year contract with Valletta before his loan move to Pietà was completed.

Both players have already started to train with their new teams and should be eligible to play for their new employers on Sunday. Pietà meet Hibernians at Corradino at 1.15 p.m. while Valletta square up to Balzan in the second match of the day.

Valletta beat Marsa 3-0

Valletta are still undecided on who will be their third foreign player for the rest of the season.

Serbian Alexander Simoncic and compatriot Neboijsa Stajic were both on the mark in Valletta's 3-0 friendly win over Marsa yesterday at Ta' Qali. The club is expected to decide on who will replace Bulgarian Ivan Tonchev today.

Meanwhile, Graham Bencini, the Hamrun defender, has also completed his switch to Sliema Wanderers. Sources said that Bencini's departure from Hamrun, who are still burdened by a transfer ban, was approved by the MFA.