Akinmboni trade talks, European transfer window closing, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy Friday, everyone! I kind of can’t believe it’s Labor Day weekend already. Summer has really flown by!
Bournemouth bid for D.C. United USYNT defender Akinmboni: sources (Give Me Sport)
Bournemouth reportedly didn’t meet D.C. United’s demand, but they have until tonight to finalize a possible deal.
Which Americans Abroad could move before the transfer window shuts? (Pro Soccer Wire)
The European transfer window closes today, so keep your eyes peeled for last-minute moves. One of the rumored deals in this article (Auston Trusty to Celtic) has already happened. Will there be more?
Loudoun United’s Florian Valot hit his 10,000th career regular season minute this past weekend. That’s over 111 matches! Pretty wild.
‘It was my top choice’: Paige Nielsen on her four-year extension with the Houston Dash (Squad Depth)
An interview with the one-time Spirit on why she chose to re-sign with Houston after her surprise trade there (from Angel City) earlier this year. Nielsen talks a bit about the impact that the growth of the NWSL has had on even non-superstar players. Her first-year contract was apparently just $5000!
If you haven’t heard enough about the new NWSL CBA, here’s a deep-dive with NWSLPA president Tori Huster on how it was negotiated and with a legal expert on what it means (for the employment law nerds like me).
Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t rule out return to Champions League (ESPN)
Okay, sure
Now, some long-weekend viewing material: David Beckham appeared on Hot Ones, the interview show in which celebrities eat increasingly spicy wings.
Finally, the table of events for the weekend. Just three games, but unfortunately the Uniteds play at the exact same time.
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loudoun United FC vs. Phoenix Rising FC | Sat., Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET | Leesburg, VA | ESPN+ |
| D.C. United vs. Toronto FC | Sat., Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET | Toronto, ON | Apple TV |
| Washington Spirit vs. San Diego Wave FC | Sun., Sep. 1 at 8 p.m. ET | San Diego, CA | MNMT, NWSL+ |
Have a good weekend!
Goff with a bit of news this morning, noting that Teddy KDP has signed a contract extension through 2027. The interesting bit, though, is that he’ll be a U22 player. That should be quite the pay increase for him. Also seems to indicate that teams CAN in fact use the U22 initiative on players that don’t have a transfer fee associated with them
Designating him as U22 with the accompanying pay raise seems….interesting? KDP’s been dynamic, but his end product is sorely lacking. It’s harsh to say he hasn’t earned it, but has he?
Ku-DiPietro’s most recent reported salary was $120,000. A U-22 player comes with a $200,000 budget hit, and I’m assuming that his salary goes higher than that to make it worth tagging him as a U-22.
It does seem like we’re buying under the assumption that he’s been underperforming and will revert to a higher level. We’re also giving up one of our opportunities to spend big on a transfer, although I think that Ted could be bought off the U-22 designation with GAM next year.
Yea I hate coming down hard on one of the homegrowns but it seems like DC continue to make puzzling roster moves and acquisitions. I’m struggling my to see what the plan is, personally.
I really think this was more accounting move than anything. I don’t mind locking up Ted, especially if Fletcher and Akinmboni are moving abroad. It’s nice to have a steady homegrown guy to root for. And he’s definitely got talent. But now it falls on him and the coaching staff to really unlock that talent.
The other thing to consider is if DC opts for the three DP/three U-22 model next year (they are doing that this year), or the two DP/four U-22/add your own extra $2 million of GAM. With building around Benteke, you’d think that makes your window to compete for something basically next year. Do you go with Benteke and Klich/other DP (buying down Peltola with some of that extra GAM), and have Pirani, Ku-DiPietro, and two other wildcards as your U-22s, and then use that $2 million extra (plus likely roughly $3 million coming available due to the exits of Dajome, Rodriguez, Santos, Miller, and Canouse) to just really beef up your lineup with a bunch of solid-but-limited-upside guys?
I think that KDP will be fine if we can get some good time with the 4-1-3-2 going and he’s able to be put up top with Benteke. He’s been having to play a deeper role this year and has shown he can still beat his man pretty reliably but he’s receiving the ball too deep and then trying to do too much with it instead of being able to quickly snap off a shot.
I’m leery about Akinmboni going overseas. He’s young, fast (for a CB) and good technical ability. And Euro clubs tend to take fliers on those, figuring they’ll throw 22 kids in to the reserves and hope 1 or 2 of them emerge as better. There is value in that “trial by fire” that the US doesn’t currently have (our academies and reserves aren’t competitive enough). But it also means a lot of talent gets lost.
The one positive is that Bournemouth has a good data/analytics focus. So if they go after a young player it’s not just because they the physical talent or “hey, they were on that country’s U22 side–sign ’em up!” No, they’re looking at a range of analytics and think they’ve found a gem that fits their scheme.
Fletcher has officially joined Nottingham Forest through next June. Hopefully he has a good experience with their reserves and can continue to grow. Now there’s even more room on the roster for some wingers/forwards come the end of this season…
Goff has reported that there’s an option for Nottingham to buy his contract in January. It would be great for Kristian if his time there goes so well that Nottingham decides to exercise that.
Glad we re-upped on TKP but I don’t want to see Akinmboni sent away…he has so much potential and he’s not that far from realizing it. I guess Rooney was right…he’s a keeper and now anyone in Europe can just ask Wayne what he saw in him as a prospect.