by CHRISTIAN ARAOS

New York City FC said it wanted to shore up its defense and it has done so announcing the acquisition of center back Maxime Chanot from Belgian club K.V. Kortrijk Saturday.

As first reported by NYCFC Nation, Chanot joins the club through the end of 2018. NYCFC used Targeted Allocation Money to acquire the 26-year-old Luxembourg international and sent $50,000 of General Allocation Money to Orlando City SC as part of MLS’ Discovery Conflict Resolution. Chanot made 36 appearances for Kortijk last season in the Belgium Pro League.

“It is an understatement to say that I’m excited to play for New York City FC,” Chanot said. “It is a great honor and I want the people of New York City to know that I will do my best to make them proud of their team. In the course of my career I played in England, in France and the last 5 years in Belgium. It was definitely the perfect time for me to take on a new challenge.”

Chanot has made 19 appearances for Luxembourg scoring once. He previously played with current NYCFC defender Frédéric Brillant at Beerschot in 2013 after two seasons with White Star in the Belgian Second Division.

“I would describe myself as a real central defender,” Chanot said. “I love duels and people often say that my main asset is my physical impact. I’m also a ball-playing player and I’ll try to score goals for my team when possible, especially when it comes to set-pieces.”

Sporting director Claudio Reyna said Chanot made it clear he wanted to join NYCFC. NYCFC Nation reports that interest stems from his wife recently taking a position in New York.

“We’re excited about Maxime’s leadership abilities and believe he’ll add more depth to our defensive unit,” Reyna said. “He has strong technical qualities, reads danger well, and is at the stage of his career where he can contribute to this team for many years to come.”

Chanot cannot play for NYCFC until the team acquires an international slot for him. The team currently has 12 slots used for 12 players. It can acquire a spot through trade or by moving one of its international players away from the club. Once it does, Chanot can be put on the roster where is expected to help head coach Patrick Vieira’s plans to build from the back.

“Maxime will create more competition for playing time on our back line and that can only be a positive thing,” Vieira said. “We like his skill set and his ability to play the ball out of the back. He is strong in the tackle and a very physical player. I’m looking forward to him joining up with us as soon as possible. I know he’ll work hard to contribute to this football club.”