OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Roots SC announced on Friday the club had signed of defender Gagi Margvelashvili ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

The 27-year-old is a multi-time winner of the Georgian First Division with Saburtalo Tbilisi and Dinamo Batumi, making 122 appearances in the league overall in his career. Additionally, in the 2021-2022 season, Margvelashvili won the Macedonian First Division with Shkupi, where he made 46 appearances across all competitions.

Margvelashvili has also competed in UEFA Champions League and Europa League Qualifying, accumulating more than 225 professional appearances over the course of his career.  

“Gagi is someone we have scouted from afar, and we can’t wait to have him in our building,” said Roots SC Head Coach Noah Delgado. “He is a proven winner who has played in some of the top competitions in Europe. Bringing in guys who are proven winners is something we are very intent on doing."

Margvelashvili spent the majority of his career with Saburtalo Tbilisi, where he made his professional debut in the 2017 season before going on to record 14 goals and make 164 appearances for the club across all competitions. He went on to compete for Dinamo Batumi, Shkupi, and most recently Dinamo Tbilisi. He also has experience at the youth international level, representing his nation more than 30 times at the U17, U19, and U21 levels.