Linköping's recruitment of Talia Gabarra is secured through the sports manager Mia Eriksson waiving her salary.
"Football itself is the most important thing we have, and this is a measure that gives us the opportunity to allocate resources to the sport," says Eriksson to the club's website.
Linköping has taken three national championships, the latest in 2017. In mid-February, the club announced that it is entering the season with a deficit of approximately 2.5 million kronor.
"Sometimes it's about finding solutions that make it work for everyone, even if it's not something you want to have to do. We solve things together, and it's together that we need to take on the challenge the association is facing now," says Mia Eriksson.
Talia Gabarra, 24, has mainly played college football for the University of Florida and arrived in Sweden on Friday. She is the daughter of Carin Jennings-Gabarra, who has won both World Championship and Olympic Games gold with the USA.
The midfielder was not match-ready for Saturday's home game against Hammarby, but was presented to her new home audience before kick-off.
The match was not a pleasant story for the Östergötland women. Top-tipped Hammarby won 5–0 after striker Ellen Wangerheim scored a hat-trick. Smilla Holmberg gave the away team the lead.
Hammarby's final goal was scored by the Danish newcomer Nadia Nadim in the 87th minute, barely twenty minutes after the 37-year-old had come on.
The former Danish national team striker Nadim has been loaned in from Italian AC Milan until the summer.
