After months of uncertainty, Igor Anton may finally have saved his professional career. The team has confirmed that the Spaniard has signed a two-year contract with Movistar and will the 28th and final rider on the team's 2014 roster.

When the Euskaltel team folded, it was always clear that several riders would have difficulty finding a new team for the coming season. However, few expected that two of the team's main riders Samuel Sanchez and Igor Anton would be two of the major victims on a market that is loaded with talented riders following the demise of five professional teams.

Nonetheless, the two climbers have both struggled to secure their professional futures but now Anton has managed to save his career. Movistar has confirmed that the Basque has signed a contract with the team, with Biciciclismo reporting that he will be part of the squad for two years. 

Originally, Anton was reported to be very close to reaching an agreement with Omega Pharma-Quick Step but he put his negotiations on hold when Fernando Alonso announced that he planned to take over Euskatel's license. When the F1 star had to give up those plans, the door had been closed for Anton as Omega Pharma-Quick Step had finalized its roster.

Anton has been linked to Astana, Lampre-Merida and Colombia but never reached an agreement with any of those teams. The latter team recently said that they had no interest in Anton and were fully focused on potentially signing Sanchez instead.

Anton's only real option appeared to be Omega Pharma-Quick Step who would have a vacant spot if Kevin De Weert failed to recover from his injuries sustained in a crash at the Vuelta a Espana. However, the Belgian has made great progress recently, effectively closing the door for Anton for good.

In an unexpected turn of events, Anton has now secured a contract with Movistar which had already announced that they had finalized their roster. Anton will be a crucial domestique for the Spanish team as it plans to be competitive in all three grand tours with Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde.

Anton has won four stages in the Vuelta a Espana and won a stage on the feared Monte Zoncolan in the Giro d'Italia. He has two top 10 finishes in the Vuelta on his palmares and crashed out of the race in 2010 at a time when he appeared to have a very good shot at the overall win.

His 2013 season was a disappointment, with his best result being a 2nd place in the GP Miguel Indurain.

Movistar's confirmed signings for the 2014 season are  Ion and Gorka Izaguirre, Juan Lobato (Euskaltel), John Gadret (AG2R La Mondiale), Adriano Malori (Lampre-Merida), Alejandro Marque (OFM) , Dayer Quintana (neo-professional) and Jasha Sütterlin (Thuringer).